According to Spanish outlet Sport, Chelsea are showing the most interest in signing Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde ahead of Manchester City and Manchester United.
The London giants have spent more than £1 billion on new signings since their takeover from Clearlake Capital Group last year but they continue to lag behind their rivals in the race for the Champions League places.
Chelsea are currently 10th in the table after 18 games into the campaign and as things stand, they have a huge mountain to climb with 14 points separating them from Tottenham Hotspur for the 4th spot in the table.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino has been quite vocal about the need for more signings and Sport claim that Chelsea are leading the race ahead of Man City and Man United in the transfer pursuit of Balde.
The source claim that the Blues have shown most interest in landing the La Masia graduate and the player is aware that he has the opportunity to improve his salary with a move to Stamford Bridge.
The left-back is not looking to leave the Catalan giants at the moment, but super-agent Jorge Mendes has already informed the Blaugrana about the possibility of selling his client next summer.
Possible transfer
Chelsea have had a tough time in the left-back department this season. They started off with Ben Chilwell from the position before he suffered a hamstring injury. Marc Cucurella was used in the role thereafter, but the Spaniard has also been ruled out for several months after undergoing a knee surgery.
Levi Colwill has played as the makeshift left-back on a number of occasions this season, but he has not looked comfortable from the position. Ian Maatsen is another option at Pochettino’s disposal, but he has only played off the bench and looks likely to leave the club in either January or at the end of the season.
Chilwell is not far away from making his comeback and it remains to be seen whether he can unscathed for the remainder of the campaign. Regardless of this, the Blues may want to spend on a solid competitor and Balde would be an ideal fit for them due to his young age and immense room for development.
The £42 million star is an attacking full-back and would perfectly fit into the Blues’ transfer policy of signing emerging players. The big question mark is whether Chelsea can convince him to move to Stamford Bridge as they look on course to miss out on Champions League football for the 2nd-straight campaign.
