Maresca needs a new centre-backMaresca needs a new centre-back
Maresca needs a new centre-back | Getty Images
Chelsea are said to have identified a defender as they look to strengthen this summer.
Chelsea have reportedly identified a Serie A defender as they look to add competition to their back line. The Blues have enjoyed quite the week, securing Champions League football with a fourth place finish on the final day of the Premier League, and just three days later, they won the Conference League.
The Blues are expected to add quality to their squad ahead of the next campaign, and Maresca will have money to spend. It will be interesting to see what he and the club’s recruitment chiefs do with that money, also able to use the allure of Champions League football in this year’s negotiations, something they have not had in their back pocket over recent years.
Maresca needs a few pieces, and he is likely to sign a striker, centre-back and winger before the summer is over. At centre-back, Chelsea have a number of options, but there is a degree of uncertainty surrounding some of the options. Levi Colwill is a key starter, and it looks as though Trevoh Chalonah has also sufficiently proven himself.
Wesley Fofana needs to find a way to stay fit, Tosin Adarabioyo looks more like a back-up option and Benoit Badiashile has not fully convinced. Chelsea need another top-level centre-back to complete their back line, and they have already missed out on their primary target, Dean Huijsen.
Maresca and his staff will now look elsewhere, and reports from Simon Phillips and other have claimed that Lazio defender Mario Gila is of interest. The 24-year-old came through at Real Madrid despite growing up in Barcelona. He joined Lazio in 2022, going on to make 54 league appearances and becoming a regular under Marco Baroni. Lazio finished seventh this season.
It’s reported that there is an asking price of £41.9million for Gila, but Chelsea are said to have offered £29.3million. It’s unclear how low Lazio will go to agree a deal, and indeed how high Chelsea will go with their offer.
Gila in line with Chelsea strategy
If Chelsea are indeed in for Gila, they are showing just how closely they want to stick to their strategy of signing young players with big upside. The likes of Marc Guehi and others are likely to be available on big fees this summer, and it seems Chelsea are ignoring that sort of experienced option.
Make of that what you will, but the Blues have stuck to their transfer policy over the last 18 months or so, in particular, and it appears as though they will do the same with their centre-back purchase this summer. The policy has served them well so far, with the likes of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo turning out to be top-level signings despite bumpy starts, and in recent windows, the Blues have given fans little reason to doubt their uncompromising strategy.
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