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

4. Denzel Dumfries, Netherlands, PSV

Dumfries is another quality wing-back who has made a real breakthrough at this summer’s European Championships. He has spent all of his early years in the Eredivisie so far but is looking for a big-money move to one of the continent’s elite teams as he enters the prime of his career. Seeing as the Hakimi dream is all but over, the Dutchman is a fantastic alternative with a very similar playing style as the Moroccan international.

Many Chelsea supporters will know about Dumfries from playing FIFA, as he consistently has a fun, and surprisingly accurate, card with lots of pace and physicality. The PSV Eindhoven man is incredibly quick and can have a massive impact on any match he takes part in both offensively and defensively. Albeit against weaker opposition in the Dutch top flight, Dumfries has proven to be capable as a marauding wing-back that can steal the ball, make a lung-busting run down the sideline, and send in a teasing cross with pinpoint accuracy, all in the span of about 30 seconds.

Dumfries is exactly the kind of player that would thrive in Tuchel’s 3-4-3 system and provides some of the same qualities that Hakimi brings to the table. Chelsea fan accounts on Twitter were postulating that the Inter starlet’s arrival would necessitate Reece James playing right center back in the team’s back three, and Dumfries moving to west London would probably do the same. He and James would be particularly dangerous against teams that employ a high press, like Manchester City, as both players love to get forward on the counter.

The Dutch No. 22’s ability to create goal-scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates from the wing-back position has long been his calling card with PSV. Since his arrival to the club in 2018-19, Dumfries has 28 league goal contributions, including six assists this past season, which was second-most on his team. Few other defenders in the world have been as effective in attack as the 25-year-old, and his two goals so far in Euro 2020 have only confirmed this fact.

Chelsea will not be the only team vying for Dumfries’ signature, though. Many of the Blues’ competitors in next season’s Champions League are looking to buy the Netherlands international, as PSV’s relatively low asking price will not scare off the traditionally big spenders who were negatively affected by the pandemic. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Inter have all been linked with Dumfries in the past few days, and his agent, the infamous Mino Raiola, has been pushing to get a move done sooner rather than later. Chelsea will need to act fast if they want to secure what is sure to be one of the best bargain signings of the summer.