Chelsea appear to have wrapped up a move for Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap. That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, who confirmed that the Blues have an agreement in place to sign the player for £30m.
It could be a shrewd piece of business for the Stamford Bridge outfit, especially as they needed another centre-forward.
Enzo Maresca is also targeting a defender or two when the transfer window opens. With this in mind, it appears as though a Dutch talent is being earmarked for a move to London.
Chelsea in talks to sign new defender
Journalist Simon Phillips has claimed that the Blues have enquired about a move for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite regarding a summer move.
Elsewhere, he stated that Chelsea are “advancing on talks" for Ajax sensation Jorrel Hato, with the Blues ideally wanting to bring in two new defenders, ahead of next season.
Chelsea-Hato
Hato could cost the club £46m should negotiations go smoothly. On the surface, this certainly looks like a wonderful bargain given his age and potential for growth.
Champions League football next season should also be an enticement for the Dutchman.
Ajax Amsterdam's Jorrel Hato celebrates after the match
Comfortable at playing either centre-back or left-back, Maresca will likely utilise the Ajax gem as his starting left-back. If so, he could be the club’s next Ashley Cole.
Why Chelsea must sign Jorrel Hato
Cole is arguably one of the finest left-backs that England have produced. Across eight seasons with the Blues, Cole racked up 337 appearances, winning the Champions League and Premier League with the club.
Excellent at bombing forward and creating chances for his teammates, while also offering plenty of defensive qualities, which contributed to him becoming arguably the "best" left-back in Premier League history, as per his former Arsenal boss, Arsene Wenger.
Ashley Cole's Chelsea statistics
Season
2013/14
2012/13
2011/12
2010/11
2009/10
2008/09
2007/08
2006/07
Via Transfermarkt
Hato - who talent scout Jacek Kulig has described as the "complete full-back" - exudes plenty of the same sort of qualities, and he would be a worthy heir to the Englishman, that’s for sure.
Going forward, the 19-year-old registered eight goal involvements, created six big chances and averaged 0.6 key passes per game in the Eredivisie last season.
Defensively, Hato helped Ajax keep 11 clean sheets in the league, while also winning 52% of his total duels, making 1.9 tackles and recovering 4.2 balls per game.
On this evidence, Hato - who has been dubbed "immense" by Kulig - could be a wise signing for Maresca this summer, especially as he could be a long-term option on the left side of the defence.
When compared to his peers across the men’s next 14 competitions, the teenager ranks in the top 1% for pass completion percentage (89.4%) per 90, along with ranking in the top 12% for aerial duels won (1.77) and the top 11% for touches in the attacking penalty area (2.33) per 90 over the previous 365 days.
Jorrel-Hato-Ajax
No one will ever replace the genius of Cole, but in Hato, Chelsea can bring in a player who is still a few years away from being at his very best.
Still, he has the potential to become one of the best full-backs on the continent. For just £46m, Maresca could make a stunning signing.
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Chelsea appear to be making a move for another striker despite the links to Liam Delap.