According to TeamTalk, Chelsea are interested in signing Manchester United target Federico Dimarco as a replacement for Ian Maatsen, who is set to leave the club in January.
Chelsea recently triggered the extension clause in Maatsen’s contract to keep him until June 2025. However, this has not ended the speculation regarding his future and TeamTalk claim that the Dutchman is attracting interest from both Manchester City and Liverpool ahead of the winter transfer window.
The Blues are also working behind the scenes to land a replacement for Maatsen. Inter Milan’s Federico Dimarco is one of the names on Chelsea’s radar and they have already spoken with his representatives. Man United are also keen on the Italian, but Chelsea are leading the race to sign the £50 million star.
Surprise transfer
Chelsea are currently well stocked in the left-back department. They have Ben Chilwell, Marc Cucurella and Maatsen in the first-team squad while centre-back Levi Colwill has also played in the position this season. Chilwell is currently out of action with a hamstring injury, but the club are still in a comfortable position.
Hence, their interest in Dimarco comes as a surprise. Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino likes to play an attacking brand of football and Dimarco’s effectiveness in the final 3rd could be a reason behind the pursuit. The 25-year-old bagged six goals and 10 assists last season. This campaign, he has 1 goal and 3 assists to date.
Dimarco has largely played from the left wing-back position for Inter, but he started off his career from the left-back position. The Italian would be a good piece of investment for Chelsea as he is in the prime phase of his career, but the big question mark is whether the club would invest on him at the beginning of 2024.
Cucurella has had a fantastic change in fortunes over the past few weeks. The Spaniard was completely out-of-favour at the start of the season, but an injury to Chilwell coupled with some stand-out performances have made him an undisputed starter. Chelsea are better off signing a marquee striker than another left-back.
