Chelsea ‘most likely destination’ for PL defender as competition decide against January move

Chelsea are the ‘most likely destination’ for Everton defender Lucas Digne, with Inter Milan turning their attention elsewhere.

That’s according to Inter Dipendenza, who say the Frenchman has never been a ‘concrete target’ for the Italian side.

Digne is expected to leave Everton in the January transfer window following a falling out with manager Rafa Benitez behind the scenes.

That’s pushed him close to the exit door, and Inter Milan have been named as one of the suitors, with Beppe Marotta looking to add a left-back to Simone Inzaghi’s squad to provide competition for Ivan Perisic.

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It had been suggested they would pursue a loan deal with an option to buy, something Everton were unlikely to be interested in.

Now it seems there will be no such negotiations, with Inter Dipendenza reporting that while Digne has been ‘scouted’, he has never been a ‘concrete target’ for Inter at any point.

Instead, his ‘most likely destination’ is Chelsea, who are also on the hunt for a left-back after losing Ben Chilwell for the remainder of the season.

Whether they can get a deal done with the Toffees remains to be seen, with Everton sure to remain firm in their demands for Digne given his age and status.

With Inter off the table, though, they’ve lost a powerful bargaining tool that could have helped them in talks with Thomas Tuchel and co.