Transfer season is warming up, and today Chelsea have been linked by Italian sources translated by SportWitness with another top continental talent.
Riccardo Calafiori has been part of the Bologna team that has really impressed under Thiago Motta this season, and while the coach wants to bring his former player with him to Juventus, he’s not the only one who has noticed his abilities.
Apparently incoming Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca like the Italian defender “a lot” and sees him as a perfect fit for the new team he’s looking to build, with passing ability on the ball restored as a major factor. Chelsea have apparently “made contact” to get some preliminary information about how much a move might set them back.
A long shot for money-conscious Blues
Calafiori is a super talented 22 year old coming off the back of a breakthrough season in Serie A. That all adds up to one thing – a big fee. The €22m mentioned in the SportWitness piece seems far too low. It’s also interesting to note that Bologna are holding off on negotiations hoping that good performances at the Euros can boost his price further.
We haven’t ruled out Chelsea spending decent money this summer, and there are plenty of rumours that there remains a decent budget to be spent. But given the needs in other areas, we think it’s more likely that the sporting directors gamble on Wesley Fofana returning to fitness and Benoit Badiashile returning to form rather than dropping serious money on another investment in central defence.
We’re not going to be able to sell players like Badiashile or Axel Disasi anytime soon, so even if Trevoh Chalobah joins Thiago Silva in departing this summer, the free transfer of Tosin Adarabioyo feels much more likely as a solution.
