Chelsea have suffered a major setback on the eve of the new season as Levi Colwill has been ruled out for several months following an ACL injury.
Colwill was a crucial player for Chelsea last season, starting 35 of their 38 Premier League matches as they qualified for the Champions League, and his absence will be a huge blow.
While Chelsea are already stacked at centre-back, they may use this opportunity to invest in an elite operator in defence and we’ve picked out three potential targets.
Marc Guehi
Guehi was previously part of Chelsea’s set-up and has now established himself as one of the Premier League’s best defenders and an England regular.
Both Liverpool and Newcastle have been linked with a move for Guehi this summer, who is reportedly happy to see out the final year of his Crystal Palace contract if needs be.
But the allure of a return to Stamford Bridge may be too great to resist. The defender is thought to be available for £40million and would instantly become Chelsea’s best defender.
A move to a Champions League club would also do his international prospects no harm, with Thomas Tuchel formulating his World Cup plans.
Alessandro Bastoni
Chelsea’s policy of exclusively signing young players is starting to pay off, but a slight shift in focus could see them accelerate their route to Premier League glory.
By targeting established, world-class players in key positions, Chelsea could leapfrog ahead of their rivals and Bastoni would be a prime candidate.
The 26-year-old Inter Milan defender wouldn’t come cheap, but he is rated as one of the best centre-backs in the world.
Chelsea could use this opportunity to go big on one of the best players around, in the same way Liverpool signed Virgil van Dijk and never looked back.
Ronald Araujo
Araujo has grown into a top centre-back under Hansi Flick at Barcelona and could be tempted by a move to England.
He would be a slightly cheaper option than Bastoni if Chelsea could activate his reported cut-price release clause.
With several Spanish speakers already at the club, Araujo could acclimatise quickly and would be an exciting addition to Chelsea’s backline.
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