With exactly two weeks to go before the summer transfer window shuts, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has made it very clear that he wants his side to sign a central defender following the injury to Levi Colwill.
The English international suffered an ACL injury during pre-season and is expected to be ruled out till 2026.
As a result, the Italian manager wants to sign a new centre-back for the ongoing season that began last weekend.
The magnitude of Maresca’s problem was easy to see when he was forced to name Chelsea academy graduate Josh Acheampong at the heart of his defence for the Premier League opener against Crystal Palace.
With Tosin Adarabioyo also not fit to feature, it is clear why the manager is looking for more; however, it was reported last week that Chelsea chiefs are not willing to sign a new centre-back.
Reportedly, the Chelsea owners and management want Maresca to find a solution to his problem from within the existing squad.
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Chelsea have £43m bid for Alessandro Bastoni rejected
According to Gazzetta, Chelsea made a bid worth £43m ($58m) to sign Alessandro Bastoni, but the bid was rejected immediately by the Italian side.
The Blues were interested in Bastoni last summer as well, on the back of some impressive performances in the Serie A and the Champions League, but the player chose to stay in Milan.
The report goes on to say that Newcastle United have also enquired over his services, and a late summer offer from England cannot be discounted right now.
Given that Chelsea have started making moves to sign another centre-back, one should not be surprised if they snap up one before the September 1 deadline.
If they fail to land a central defender before the deadline, Maresca will be forced to choose from his existing options, and that might be good enough to match Chelsea’s ambitions for this season.
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