Chelsea is going back to the well and chasing an Inter Milan duo

As Queen frontman Freddy Mercury once eloquently put it ” … and another one gone, and another one gone, another one bites the dust.” Chelsea’s centerback pursuit during this transfer window is beginning to feel like the hook to a rock ballad from 1980. The Blues have missed out on a handful of their top defensive targets thus far. Matthijs de Ligt joined Bayern Munich, Nathan Ake opted to stay at Manchester City, Presnel Kimpembe prefers to remain in Paris and most recently, Jules Kounde snubbed the reigning Club World Cup Champions for Barcelona.

These failed moves leave Chelsea stuck between a rock and a hard place. Kalidou Koulibaly has been the only defensive reinforcement through the door after the Blues failed to re-sign Andreas Christensen or Antonio Rudiger. It became apparent in their defeat to Arsenal that they need to strengthen their back line before the window slams shut on September 1, but options seem few and far between at this moment in time. Chelsea is now going back to the well and shopping for its next signing(s) from within Inter Milan’s ranks as it eyes a pair of defenders.

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Chelsea has its eyes set on a pair of Inter Milan defenders to sign this summer

The Evening Standard’s Nizaar Kinsella reported on Tuesday that the Blues are looking to do business with Serie A giant Inter Milan once again. The sides seem to have a good relationship after the two Romelu Lukaku transactions over the last year. Even though Roman Abramovich and Co. jumped through hoops to get the striker to Stamford Bridge for £97.5 million last season, Todd Boehly worked with the Italian club to find a quick solution for the No. 9’s situation this summer. For this, Inter Milan should be willing to sit down and negotiate with the Blues again.

I Nerazzurri need to sell at least one player this summer to open up space on the wage books for their new signings. Milan Skriniar seems the likeliest candidate to leave with a couple of big names chasing his signature over the last few months. Paris Saint-Germain seemed the most interested in the Slovakian, but talks have stalled, which opens the door for the Blues to swoop in with a cheeky bid for the defender.

Skriniar—like Koulibaly before he joined Chelsea—is seen as one of the best centerbacks in Italy. He would bring some serious stability to a Blues back line that is lacking one more quality starter if Thomas Tuchel wishes to stick with his signature 3-4-3. Chelsea would have to move quickly and back up the Brinks truck in order to sign the 27-year-old though. Regardless, the experienced centerhalf would be an excellent addition to a veteran bunch. Skriniar checks all of the boxes of a player that Tuchel is looking to add to his roster, especially as it relates to his passing ability. The Inter Milan man has earned comparisons to Rudiger for the way he passes and progresses up the pitch with the ball at his feet, all from the back. If he truly is available for a decent price, this is absolutely a move that the Blues should make sooner rather than later.

The other individual currently under the Chelsea microscope is a bit more of a wildcard. Denzel Dumfries has been linked with the Blues on and off since his breakout tournament with The Netherlands at Euro 2020. He’s a versatile player capable of lining up at right back, right wingback or even as a right midfielder. The 26-year-old is a real goalscoring threat, especially after racking up 10 goals plus assists in 45 games last season from the right wingback spot at Inter Milan.

While Dumfries doesn’t immediately solve a need for Tuchel’s team, his arrival could see Reece James drop into a back three more often. If Chelsea is somehow able to bring both players to SW6 ahead of next season, Dumfries would likely rotate as a wingback option. He started around half of the games he was available in under Simone Inzaghi last year, which is why it’s believed he’d be OK with a rotational role with the Blues. While Dumfries isn’t exactly an eye-popping prospect, he’d be a solid addition to a Chelsea team in desperate need of some depth at wingback.

Regardless of who the Blues are looking to bring in before the campaign kicks off, they need to get their business done quickly. Chelsea was given a reality check when Arsenal slaughtered it in front of 63,000+ fans in Orlando. Luckily, that was only a preseason friendly. If the Blues put a product that poor onto the pitch in meaningful matches, there will be a plethora of unhappy supporters from around the globe. Boehly knows what he needs to do from now until September 1.

Do you think either of these additions would be good for Chelsea? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!