Ben Chilwell has allegedly become Chelsea’s priority one but he will be expensive. The Blues can cheapen him with their own left backs.
As the Timo Werner deal maybe kind of sort of hopefully wraps up, Chelsea is turning its attention to their next priority on the transfer list: a brand new left back. The position has been a sore point virtually ever since Cesar Azpilicueta was removed from the role and after Marcos Alonso’s on again off again adequacy outside of wingback.
Ben Chilwell has long been a target of the club and Frank Lampard and that does not seem to have changed even with the plan B’s being pretty well established (and much, much cheaper). But the club seems to be in the mind of “whatever the manager wants, the manager gets” and the very expensive Chilwell remains the primary target.
But there are ways to make the sizable asking price more tolerable. Chilwell still will not come as cheap as Alex Telles or Nicolas Tagliafico, but the Blues could carve into that price tag with the left backs already present at the club.
Of course, this is a bit of a cop out. Any left back coming in would surely spell the end of Marcos Alonso or Emerson, depending on which attracts the most interest. But there has already been plenty of talk about Alvaro Morata’s transfer fee and the net spend/gain against Werner’s potential signing, so this simply follows the same thought process. Sell off Alonso or Emerson, cut into Chilwell’s price tag, and go ahead with the move.
There is, however, a much more direct way to make that happen: a swap deal. Swap deals are one of those things that everyone loves to talk about but they rarely happen anymore. But if Leicester City knows they are losing a player that wants to leave, there are few better ways to make that an easier pill to swallow than to have them replaced immediately.
Either player would likely appeal on some level to Leicester City. Emerson would probably be the most direct fit for a side losing Chilwell, but Alonso could also come in and do a job while offering a lot of experience to a young squad. And for Chelsea, both players could potentially drop the price of Chilwell upwards of £30 or 40 million.
That is not to say that such a swap would not run into its own issues. Emerson and Alonso have at various points been linked to Juventus, Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid at various points over the last year or so. Leicester is a rising star on paper, but would the players be willing to join the Foxes against those types of teams? And what happens if they do join and Leicester’s current success proves to be a one season blip?
Chelsea wants Chilwell despite the cheaper options of the same quality (albeit older). To make it happen, the Blues will need to recoup some funds with one of their current left backs. A direct swap may make the most sense for all parties if the players agree, but otherwise a simple sale can at least cut into the profits. If the Blues are going full steam ahead on this target, that is really the only way they can go about it.