A couple of days ago, it emerged that Chelsea had agreed on personal terms with Jeremy Jacquet. But since then, the story does not seem to have had too many developments. What we do know is that Rennes want more than the €64 million fee they got for Jeremy Doku's move to Manchester City. At this moment, the Blues are not willing to go that high. Initially, it had been suggested that they were preparing an offer in the region of €50 million.
This Chelsea ownership have consistently signed some of the best talents in the world. That being said, they are not afraid to walk away from deals if they do not feel that the finances of it fit them.
Could that happen with Jacquet? And if that does, would the Blues look to bring in a different centre-back, or continue with the ones that they already have? How far away are we from another briefing about the club being confident with their current options?
To be fair, it has always been maintained that Chelsea have a three-man shortlist, with Jacquet at the top of it. But who are the two other names? Now, we can reveal that as well.
Chelsea want Bournemouth defender if Jeremy Jacquet move fails
As reported by Ben Jacobs, other options Chelsea could explore are Como FC's Jacobo Ramon and Bournemouth's Marcos Senesi. The Cherries haven't had any approach from the Blues or other clubs yet.
It is worth mentioning that Senesi is set to become a free agent in the summer. So, Chelsea have the chance to potentially sign him for a bargain fee, just like Manchester City did with Marc Guehi.
Bringing in Senesi would be very unlike Chelsea though. When was the last time they signed someone who was past 25 years of age to play a first-team role?
There is a lot to like about Senesi's game though. In terms of going forward, his numbers compared to positional peers in the Big 5 Leagues, UCL, and UEL over the last 365 days are elite. He is 99th percentile in assists and Exp. Assisted Goals, 98th percentile in Shot-Creating Actions and 97th percentile in npxG + xAG. Of course, there is a lot more to the Argentine international.
Senesi is 98th percentile in Progressive Passes, 99th percentile in Blocks, 96th percentile in Clearances and 91st percentile in Interceptions. Even aerially, he is above average, 75th percentile in Aerials Won.
Those are exceptional numbers. And one could argue that he would be a much better signing than Jacquet, at least over the next few years, while being available at a fraction of the fee.