Chelsea: Five potential transfer targets from the Euro 2020 group stage

Any major international tournament is a great opportunity to discover lesser-known stars of the footballing world. This has been especially true in recent times, exemplified by the 2014 World Cup, during which the world was introduced to James Rodriguez, and Euro 2016 when Renato Sanches became a household name and earned himself a big-money move to Bayern Munich. So far, through the group stage of this summer’s European Championships, a number of unrecognized talents have already been incredibly impressive.

This is good news for Chelsea, a team that, despite winning the Champions League barely a month ago, looks to be in a state of flux. Multiple players will be moving on from the club, although most of the consistent starters will be hanging around Stamford Bridge for the time being. This means that the replacements need to be comfortable with a limited role in west London, thus reducing the pool of potential recruits. For this reason, the Blues should target some of Euro 2020’s breakout performers who can be had for a relative bargain.

Here are five stars of Euro 2020 that Chelsea should go after during the summer transfer window:

1. Manuel Locatelli, Italy, Sassuolo

This name will be familiar to those Chelsea supporters who follow Serie A closely, as Locatelli has been known as one of the league’s most promising midfielders for some time now. He debuted for AC Milan at only 18-years-old, but never solidified a place in the Rossoneri squad. Since his move to Sassuolo in the summer of 2018, though, Locatelli has been a dominant force in the Italian top flight.

The Azzurri’s No. 5 really took the world by storm during the second match of the group stage against Switzerland, during which he scored two goals and earned Star of the Match honors. He also played a huge part in dictating the tempo of the game alongside Jorginho and Inter Milan’s Nico Barella, completing 92 percent of his passes and making 15 pressures. Italy’s midfield has arguably been the most effective group of players on any team in the tournament so far, and Locatelli is a large reason why.

The 23-year-old’s play is definitely not a fluke if his performances during recent seasons in Serie A are anything to go by. He started 32 of Sassuolo’s 34 matches in 2020-21, scoring four goals and adding an additional two assists en route to an eighth place finish in the league, an astonishing accomplishment for a club that had its inaugural season in the Italian first division only eight years ago.

In terms of his fit with Chelsea, Locatelli can play in a midfield duo or trio and would likely be the long-term replacement for his compatriot, Jorginho. He is most effective as a deep-lying midfielder who can distribute balls over the top to forwards making runs towards the goal, but has shown he can also succeed in a box-to-box role with his national team recently. Thomas Tuchel would certainly value Locatelli’s versatility, especially considering his potential for development.

The Blues will have to move quickly if they want to secure Locatelli’s signature, though, as a number of other top European sides look to be interested. The biggest threat, as is always the case with exciting Italian prospects, is the Old Lady of Turin, Juventus, who are reportedly preparing a player plus cash bid and have been in contact with Locatelli’s agent. Nothing has been made official yet, but the Sassuolo man looks to be a generational talent that Chelsea will not want to miss out on.