According to reports, Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has been given the green light to push ahead with plans to fix his leaky defence and he could bring in three new defenders this summer, once a deal for Kai Havertz gets over the line.
The Blues are in deep negotiations with Bayer Leverkusen over their £90million midfielder Havertz. Those talks have been ongoing for weeks but Lampard will not stop his summer spending there.
Owner Roman Abramovich acknowledges the need to strengthen Chelsea’s defence after they conceded more goals than any of the teams in the top 10 of the Premier League this season.
Leicester full-back Ben Chilwell has become a top priority with Emerson Palmieri set to join Inter Milan. The Foxes will demand around £80million for the England international, which is the same stance they took when Manchester United came calling for Harry Maguire last summer.
Lampard also wants to fix the heart of his defence and the Mirror claims two new centre-backs could arrive at Stamford Bridge. Brighton ace Lewis Dunk has become a Premier League regular over recent years and feels he is ready to step up to a top-six side.
Chelsea have been told they must pay £40m to capture Dunk but they are not afraid of taking defenders from those lower down the table. A potential move for Dunk will not stop Lampard from bringing in another of his targets in John Stones, according to the Mirror.
Stones has struggled to break into City’s starting XI this season and he will fall further down the pecking order with Nathan Ake’s arrival from Bournemouth. Pep Guardiola is also considering a move for Napoli star Kalidou Koulibaly which could lead to Stones’ exit.
The 26-year-old may be made available for loan which would be very appealing for Chelsea, who are expected to spend a lot this summer. However, Over £80m has already been splashed out on Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech from RB Leipzig and Ajax, respectively.
Abramovich feels the COVID-affected window offers his side a great chance to close the gap on Liverpool and Manchester City and he will try to take as much advantage as he can.