According to Italian website Sport Italia, Chelsea will make a concrete attempt to sign Inter Milan defender Denzel Dumfries in January.
The London giants are expected to make several signings during the upcoming transfer window. They have already confirmed an agreement to land David David Fofana from Molde while Andrey Santos and Benoit Badiashile could be confirmed as Chelsea players very soon.
There could be more investment in the coming weeks and a new right-back could be targeted after a fresh injury blow for Reece James. James recently made his long-awaited comeback from a knee injury, but played just 53 minutes in midweek before suffering a recurrence of the same problem.
Chelsea have confirmed that the 23-year-old is out for one month and his injury concerns could see the club step up their interest in Dumfries. As per Sport Italia, Inter want in excess of £53 million for the Dutch international. The report adds that the price will not frighten Chelsea from signing him.
Competition
James has been Chelsea’s regular choice from the right-back position for the last three years but his injury record is concerning. The England star made a quick return to action after the World Cup but manager Graham Potter could have been more cautious with him to avoid the setback.
He is now out of action for the next four weeks and Potter may want to deal with him carefully on his comeback. A move for Dumfries would be perfect for this reason. The 26-year-old is one of the best attacking full-backs in world football at the current point of time.
Dumfries has been a proven match-winner for both his club and country and would fit in properly at Chelsea. He has everything to succeed in the Premier League. He has pace, a physical presence, good defensive qualities and has the knack for creating key chances.
The £53 million asking price is well within the affordability range of Chelsea whose owners seem prepared to back Potter with signings of his own. Dumfries can be regularly rotated with James at right-back such that there is not a high workload on the latter.
