Manchester United to rival Chelsea for impressive Brazilian defender
According to Portuguese publication Correio da Manha (h/t Mirror), Manchester United could rival Chelsea for Porto full-back Alex Telles.
Frank Lampard is keen to bring in a new-lack this summer. Both Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri have failed to hold down their place and have largely struggled to make an impact.
Leicester City star Ben Chilwell is the club’s top target for the position. However, with the Foxes demanding around £80m for his services, we have been forced to look elsewhere.
Telles is a player the Blues are familiar with, having scouted him earlier. The Brazilian has a £35million release clause that makes him comparatively cheaper than Chilwell.
According to the report, with just a year to go on his current deal, Porto are ready to sell him for around £25m. This represents excellent value for money and an opportunity Chelsea should try to take advantage of.
One of the major strengths of Alonso is his ability to get forward. Telles does it better and is also a better defender than the Spaniard by the looks of it.
Capable of playing anywhere along the left flank, he scored 24 goals and a mind-boggling 55 assists in just 192 games for Porto. He could potentially link up with Christian Pulisic to form a dynamic combo on our left.
We, however, face competition from not only Manchester United but also Paris Saint-Germain. (h/t Mirror)
The 27-year-old joined Porto from Turkish giants Galatasaray in 2016 and has grown into one of the most dependable full-backs in the continent.
The fact that he is coming off a season where he scored 13 goals and assisted 12 from left-back is impressive in itself.
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With Chelsea set to compete along multiple fronts next season, it is imperative that we address the deficiencies in our squad.
The Blues have already strengthened their frontline by adding Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner. Adding Telles into the mix will reinforce us at both ends of the pitch.
Whether we make a move for Telles remains to be seen.