According to Gazzetta dello Sport (via SportWitness), Chelsea have the chance to sign Inter Milan defender Denzel Dumfries for £53 million this month.
The London giants recently suffered a blow with Reece James having a recurrence of his knee injury. The England star has been ruled out of action for four weeks.
James could be back playing for Chelsea in February but owner Todd Boehly could be tempted to splash the cash on another right-back due to the Englishman’s injury record.
As per Gazzetta dello Sport, Chelsea have been handed a wonderful chance to land Dumfries with Inter prepared to sell him for £53 million in the current transfer window.
The Milan heavyweights were initially looking to offload the Dutch international in the summer but have now opened the door for his departure this month for the right price.
Quality
James has been a fantastic performer for Chelsea in recent years. He is much more than a defender for the club with his ability to provide goals and assists at regular intervals. His recent setback has left a void on the right side of the defence as Cesar Azpilicueta does not offer the same creativity. The Spaniard is also past his prime.
Hence, Chelsea must find a replacement for their captain soon. They have the option to do so this month with Inter ready to sell Dumfries. The 26-year-old would provide competition and depth from right back and would also reduce the work load on James, who has become injury-prone in the last 18 months.
Dumfries can play in both the right-back and right wing-back positions and would be perfect for manager Graham Potter. He has strong physical attributes and does not get overawed by the big occasion. He has the ability to make regular overlapping runs and would be a like-for-like replacement for James.
Gazzetta dello Sport report that United are also interested in the Dutch star but Chelsea could have a big advantage over their Premier League counterparts, who are not planning a spending spree this month. United are clearly waiting for the summer transfer window to make more big-money purchases.
