Chelsea are interested in signing the former Arsenal defender who has been hailed as one of Mikel Arteta’s worst signings ever, according to a new report.
Chelsea latest transfer news
Despite the recent recall of Trevoh Chalobah from his loan spell at Crystal Palace, Chelsea are still thought to be in the market for a new defender this month due to injuries to Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile.
Fofana is expected to miss the rest of the season after suffering a hamstring injury against Aston Villa last month, while Badiashile is also expected to be out until at least February with a similar problem.
Caught Offside recently reported this Chelsea are actually favorites to beat Arsenal and Bayern Munich to the signing Sporting central defender Ousmane Diomande.
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The 21-year-old has a buyout clause of around £68m, and although the Portuguese club have publicly insisted that this is paid, CaughtOffside claim that an offer of between £42m and £50m would be enough for Sporting to consider selling.
Diomande, who signed for Sporting while current Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim was in charge, was previously he was described by scout/writer Jacek Kulig as an “elite talent”.
“There are some tactical improvements, but I am absolutely sure that this kid will play for the best teams in the world.”
Chelsea are closing in on Nuno Tavares
Another defender reportedly on Chelsea’s radar is Arsenal’s flop Nuno Tavares, who is currently on loan at Serie A club Lazio. Nuno Tavares has joined the Italian side from Arsenal on loan with an obligation to buy, and according to Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla, Chelsea have now made an inquiry to Lazio about signing the Portuguese defender.
The Blues are thought to be eyeing Tavares as a potential replacement for Renato Veiga if he leaves Stamford Bridge, although Pedulla claims Lazio do not want to lose him.
Tavares struggled during his only season at the Emirates in 2020/21, making 28 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners and scoring once. His performances were so bad that he is considered one of them Arteta’s worst signing for Arsenal ever.
In Italy, however, he did quite well, registering eight assists in 16 games, and Pedulla described him as “the best left-back in Serie A to put it mildly”. Lazio president Claudio Lotito also praised Tavares, saying after he bagged two assists against AC Milan earlier this season: “Have you seen how good he is? Nuno is an excellent player.”
If Chelsea sign Tavares, they will be hoping to get a Lazio version rather than an Arsenal version.
