Fabrizio Romano: Chelsea out of transfer race to sign Everton left-back Lucas Digne
According to the Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are out of the transfer race to sign Everton left-back Lucas Digne in January. They are currently in the market to look at potential targets as a result of the defensive crisis that has unravelled at Stamford Bridge.
Aston Villa have always been in pole position to get the signature of the 28-year-old and are currently in the mix to finalise a move. Negotiations are ongoing, but no agreement has been reached between both clubs. Anwar El Ghazi has been a part of the talks, but the Toffees want to earn money for the potential transfer.
Discussions have undergone for quite a while, plus the next week would be crucial regarding the future of the Frenchman. It remains to be seen what stance the Blues would take in the coming days as they are in desperate need of additions in the left-back spot.
What next?
Romano had tweeted earlier that Thomas Tuchel has demanded the club to push for recalling Emerson Palmieri. Olympique Lyon had rejected a loan recall request from the West London club earlier. As a result, the English club is now willing to offer compensation in return for accepting their attempt to get him back to Cobham.
Ben Chilwell is expected to miss the rest of this campaign, having undergone surgery on his knee. With Marcos Alonso as the only available wingback option, we definitely need to bring in someone for our needs. Our stance on Emerson could explain the reason why we are out of the race for the 28-year-old.
The Italian left-back may not be as young as Chilwell, but he can cover for the latter’s absence in the meantime. He was in a similar situation during the Euro 2020 campaign with Italy where he successfully deputized down the flank in the latter stages of the competition. Having replaced the then injured high-flying Leonardo Spinazzola, he helped his national team to continental glory.
Us not going all out for Digne then makes sense, considering how recalling the 27-year-old Italian would perhaps prove to be a cheaper option for the task at hand. The Merseyside club is looking for a permanent move while we arguably need someone to replace Chilwell for just a few months.
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It remains to be seen how the situation will pan out in the coming days and if we can sign someone for the vacant slot. Let’s hope that Marina Granovskaia can do the job at hand as we have several crucial fixtures to come this month. Signing Digne wouldn’t have been shabby considering he could have added long-term quality and competition down the flanks.
But then again, transfers aren’t as easy as people can sometimes make them out to be. There are many factors at play and it seems like the Blues have to settle on considering other options apart from signing the ex-Barcelona star.