Chelsea have reportedly been told by Leicester City to pay a world-record transfer fee for a defender if they want to sign Ben Chilwell this summer.
The Foxes left-back has shone in the Premier League in recent times, showing himself to be one of the finest young full-backs in Europe and like someone who could be a fine fit at Chelsea.
MORE: Chelsea lead pursuit to persuade Premier League to keep five subs rule next season
According to the Daily Mirror, however, Chilwell will not come cheap, with Leicester wanting more than the £80million they ended up pocketing for Harry Maguire last summer.
It remains to be seen if the Blues will be convinced Chilwell is worth that kind of investment, with the club perhaps needing to slow down a little after a busy start to the summer.
Frank Lampard has already added big names in Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech to his squad, but could now do with focusing his efforts on strengthening in defence.
“Ferguson kept saying we’re Manchester United and we are going to attack. But deep down, the players knew it was the wrong approach.” – Which game is Wayne Rooney talking about? Click here to find out.
Chilwell would surely be a major upgrade on the likes of Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri, but £80m seems a lot to pay, even for a player of his calibre.
Full-backs are an increasingly important part of the modern game, however, with Liverpool duo Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson proving key attacking outlets in Jurgen Klopp’s title-winning side.
If Chelsea are to close the gap, spending big on Chilwell could be an important part of their rebuilding process.