Chelsea’s quick sale of Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid if expected to see the Blues expedite a new left back’s signing in the summer transfer window, and a number of players have already been linked with a swoop to Stamford Bridge.
Portuguese source Record has reported that the Blues are considering a transfer for Sporting Lisbon full back Maxi Araujo, and have pinned the Uruguayan international down as a ‘priority target’.
Araujo has a 69 million release clause with the Liga NOS outfit, according to the source, and it is believed that Chelsea would need to pay the amount to acquire him with not much negotiation room likely to be in store.
Araujo a high-quality full back
Maxi Araujo is one of the world’s best full backs and showed a glimpse of his sky-high qualities in Uruguay’s first World Cup game against Saudi Arabia, where he put in a complete performance despite his nation’s stalemate.
His blistering pace and high stamina are particularly outstanding attributes, allowing him to fit in perfectly in high intensity and pressing systems given his ability to remain available on both ends of the pitch.
In offence, he makes smart overlapping runs and crosses beautifully, whereas without the ball, his intelligent reading of the game and speed ensures he remains a step ahead of his opponent, and does especially well in one-on-one situations.
Xabi Alonso’s system would leverage the best out of Maxi Araujo, although it will be interesting to see if Chelsea are prepared to spend big on his signing or prefer a more cost-effective option like Alvaro Carreras.
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