According to journalist Jacque Talbot, Chelsea could make a surprise move for Vitoria Guimaraes youngster Ibrahima Bamba if they can’t sign Benfica star Enzo Fernandez.
The London giants are desperate to land Fernandez before tonight’s 11pm transfer deadline but Benfica are adamant that they won’t negotiate on the terms of the transfer.
Benfica are clear that they want the player’s £106 million release clause to be triggered but Chelsea prefer to sign Fernandez in staggered payments to avoid Financial Fair Play issues.
This has hit a roadblock in the transfer talks and Talbot now claims that Chelsea are looking at Bamba as an alternative option to the World Cup winner with the deadline approaching.
Potential
Bamba does not have the same reputation as Fernandez but the 20-year-old has certainly been attracting interest. Arsenal, Napoli and Atalanta are among clubs keeping tabs on him.
Chelsea have now reportedly entered the race. If they are seriously interested, they could be favourites to sign him as none of the above-mentioned clubs have made a transfer approach.
Bamba has played in central defence or in defensive midfield for Vitoria this campaign. The Ivorian youngster has been impressive with his tackling and ability to clear his lines.
Until yesterday, it appeared that the 20-year-old would be staying with Vitoria until the summer but he now seems to be pushing for a move away following a cryptic post on Instagram.
The midfielder, who has a £26m buy-out clause in his contract, has also deleted his pictures with Vitoria which gives a big hint that he is looking for the exit door in the coming hours.
Whether Chelsea are the reason behind this remains to be seen. Graham Potter’s side need a solid defensive midfielder after making the shock decision to sell Jorginho to Arsenal.
Bamba does not have much experience, having only made his breakthrough this season, but Chelsea could be better off signing him than failing to reinforce their midfield department.
