Ajax left-back Nicolas Tagliafico could join Chelsea for £22.4m fee
Chelsea have been told they could sign left-back Nicolas Tagliafico for just £22.4million in the next transfer window. Blues head coach Frank Lampard wants to add a new left-back to his squad and has eyed a move for Leicester City’s Ben Chilwell.
But England international Chilwell is rated at more than £40m by Leicester, which would make 27-year-old Tagliafico a much cheaper alternative.
It remains to be seen whether or not Lampard wants to make a move for Tagliafico. But Chelsea have been made aware of his relatively low fee, the fact the player wants to move to England and made checks on him before the suspension of football.
Chelsea have developed a strong relationship with Ajax and have already agreed to pay up to £37m to sign Hakim Ziyech from the Dutch club.
Lampard was first alerted to Ziyech when he watched him in the Champions League against Tottenham last season and Tagliafico must now hope he too left a lasting impression.
Tagliafico has admitted recently that he would favour a move to the Premier League above either Spain or Italy.
Speaking earlier this month to Argentinian station Radio Continental, Tagliafico said: “Ajax it’s a great club, but as a player of course you dream of playing in the biggest leagues and the Premier League is right now the most competitive one, a bit above La Liga and Serie A.”
Chelsea’s London rivals Arsenal showed an interest in Argentina international Tagliafico, who can play at left-back and left wing-back, last summer, but they eventually signed Kieran Tierney instead.
Lampard is likely to allow one of his current left-backs, Marcos Alonso, to leave the club at the end of this season if the Spaniard receives an offer to go.
Other than a left-back, Lampard is targeting a striker, another wide player and potentially a new central defender.
