Signing Marc Cucurella from Brighton for a hefty fee, Chelsea bolstered the left-hand side of their defence with the long-term solution they were looking for.
Now, they want to do the same for the right-hand side, knowing that César Azpilicueta will not be able to rival Reece James for much longer, and competition for the Englishman, who can also play as a centre-back in a three-man defence, would go a long way.
That’s where Denzel Dumfries, a target of Chelsea’s during the summer transfer window, comes in, but only from next season onwards.
This is what Corriere dello Sport are reporting on Monday, claiming the Blues ‘would be ready to spend €50m’ on the Dutchman, although they would leave him at Inter until the end of the current campaign.
The Italian newspaper make it clear Chelsea ‘still have Dumfries in their sights and want to him in London at all costs’.
They know Inter ‘do not intend to sell the Dutchman in January, but during the winter window, they will still knock on the door’ to try the same deal they wanted in the summer, which is to pay for him now, but loan him back for the rest of the campaign.
It’s said Chelsea were working on such a transfer towards the back end of the window (wanting to secure him before the World Cup), but ‘they held back because the negotiations for Wesley Fofana’s arrival from Leicester had become particularly onerous’, with the Frenchman the priority at the time.
That being said, the Stamford Bridge side never went away, and the relationship between the two clubs, who have deal with each other many times in the past (Lukaku, Casadei…) ‘remains excellent’.
That’s why Chelsea want to do the same deal they had in mind last summer, but with the loan only being six months, not 12.
However, Inter know how important the World Cup could be for Dumfries, as another impressive outing at international level (remember the 2020 Euros?) from the player could help them get even more money for him.
Chelsea also have the Lukaku card up their sleeve, as despite Thomas Tuchel being gone, ‘Big Rom wants to stay in Milan and Inter are thinking of keeping him’.
They would do so by renewing the loan deal, which the Blues could use ‘as an incentive to have Dumfries in 2023-24’.
One to keep an eye on.
