Chelsea’s plans for the upcoming transfer window took a major hit as Real Madrid recently announced the signing of long-time target Dean Huijsen. The Blues were the frontrunners to sign the Bournemouth defender, but Los Blancos swooped in at the last minute to secure the deal ahead of Enzo Maresca's side.
The Blues are looking to reinforce their defensive line ahead of the new season. So, the failure to land Huijsen will come as a major setback to the club.
However, the club have already started working on potential alternatives to strengthen their defence ahead of next season. And it looks like they have found the perfect candidate.
As reported by CaughtOffside, Chelsea are understood to have opened talks with Ajax officials over a potential transfer deal for Jorrel Hato. The Blues are leading the race for his signature at the moment.
Chelsea open talks for €55m defender after missing out on Dean Huijsen
Hato has caught the eye of several top clubs with his performances this season. Apart from Chelsea, clubs like Liverpool, AC Milan, and Arsenal are also said to be interested in the 19-year-old defender.
Although Hato currently plays in the left-back position at Ajax, he can play in the centre-back role as well. So, one has to wonder what role Chelsea would want to feature him in.
On current form, it is hard to imagine that he would be able to displace Marc Cucurella from the starting XI. That being said, Levi Colwill has shown a ton of improvement towards the end of the season as well and as an academy graduate, is viewed as a major part of Chelsea's future. But then, would the Blues spend that sort of a transfer fee on someone who might turn out to be a backup option?
Chelsea should fast-track this transfer to avoid facing a similar situation to the Huijsen deal. Hato fits the club's focus on acquiring talented youngsters, and his ability to play multiple defensive positions will come in handy in case of injuries.