Chelsea close in on signing Chilwell from Leicester in £50m deal

BetOdds Transfers Chelsea Premier League Ben Chilwell Leicester City

The Blues are closing in on their third major signing of the year, with the Foxes set to sanction the departure of the England defender

Chelsea are on the verge of signing left-back Ben Chilwell from Leicester in a £50 million ($65m) deal.

Goal has learned that the Blues are close to reaching an agreement with the Foxes that will see Chilwell complete a move to Stamford Bridge ahead of the 2020-21 season.

The 23-year-old is currently sidelined with a heel injury, but he has undergone medical checks on the issue in London as Chelsea continue to keep a close eye on his recovery.

Bringing in a new left-back has been a priority for head coach Frank Lampard, with Marcos Alonso struggling to convince in the role and Emerson Palmieri touted for a move away from Stamford Bridge.

Nicolas Tagliafico, Alex Telles and Marc Cucurella have also been linked with the Blues, but Chilwell has always been their top target, and a breakthrough in negotiations with Leicester now appears imminent.

With Chelsea now looking elsewhere, Tagliafico could be set for a move to the Bundesliga as he considers an offer from Germany.

Chilwell is expected to return to full fitness within the next three weeks, with Chelsea's first game of the new campaign set to take place on September 14 away at Brighton.

The England international has racked up 163 appearances across all competitions for Leicester over the past five years, scoring six goals, while also providing 16 assists.

His performances last term helped the Foxes fight for Champions League qualification, but Brendan Rodgers' side ultimately ended up finishing fifth after a poor run of form post-lockdown.

Chilwell has also established himself as a regular in Gareth Southgate's Three Lions squad over the past 12 months, and was in contention to appear at Euro 2020 before the tournament was pushed back a year amid the coronavirus crisis.

Should Chilwell's switch to Chelsea go through as expected, he will become the third major signing of Frank Lampard's reign at Stamford Bridge.

Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner have also arrived in west London from Ajax and RB Leipzig respectively, and the Blues are expected to continue splashing the cash in the coming weeks.

Chelsea are currently in talks with Bayer Leverkusen over a potential €80 million ($94m/£72m) deal for Germany midfielder Kai Havertz, but the Bundesliga outfit are holding out for an extra €20m (£18m/$24m).

Lampard has also been tipped to bring in a new first-choice goalkeeper, with Atletico Madrid No.1 Jan Oblak reportedly being eyed as a possible replacement for Kepa Arrizabalaga, who fell out of favour with the Blues boss last term.

2020-08-21 23:00:03

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