Marina Granovskaia’s AFCON scouting mission can unravel Chelsea’s dilemma with £36m transfer
Chelsea may face a transfer dilemma this summer, as César Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, and Andreas Christensen have yet to sign new contracts with the club.
Malang Sarr has recently appeared, but with Thiago Silva already signed for another season, the Blues are quickly approaching a defensive headache.
It has been widely reported that German international Rudiger wants to be among the club’s highest-paid players, and that his new salary is a particular sticking point.
With the AFCON now in full swing, it is worth considering some of the options Marina Granovskaia may look to target in the remaining months of this window, as well as during the crucial summer months.
Sportsdias takes a look at some options below.
Edmond Tapsoba
The 22-year-old Burkina Faso international has long been watched by a slew of Premier League clubs, including Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United.
With his native team now in the competition’s quarter-finals, Tapsoba returned to the team following their opening game defeat to Cameroon and hasn’t lost since.
Although under contract until 2026, the Leverkusen defender is valued at £36 million by Transfermarkt and would be a welcome addition if the Blues wish to further investigate his availability later this year.
Samuel Chukwueze
Given his recent links to the club, Samuel Chukwueze’s name will be slightly more familiar to Chelsea fans.
The 22-year-old winger is a tricky and lightning-fast winger who scored in Nigeria’s 3-1 win over Sudan last week. Nigeria, however, crashed out with a 1-0 loss to Tunisia this weekend.
The Super Eagles international, on the other hand, is having a fruitful 2021/22 season with Villarreal, having scored five goals for the Yellow Submarines so far.
Achraf Hakimi
Hakimi has been hailed as one of the best young talents in world football in recent years, and he turned down a move to Chelsea to join PSG during the summer window.
The 23-year-old, who scored a fantastic free-kick against Malawi in Morocco’s 2-1 win on Tuesday, is regarded as one of the strongest in his position, given that the French giants paid £60 million for his services.
With the Blues struggling at full-back due to long-term injuries to both Ben Chilwell and Reece James, Marina Granovskaia would have to go all-in to sign the former Inter defender, but it could be now or never given Tuchel’s hopes of silverware this season.
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Marina Granovskaia’s AFCON scouting mission can unravel Chelsea’s dilemma with £36m transfer
