Chelsea are reportedly fighting with Arsenal over a deal to sign Atalanta defender Honest Ahanor Caught offside.
The Blues currently have Marc Cucurella as their first-choice left-back option. However, the Spaniard has been out in recent weeks due to a hamstring problem.
Jorrel Hato can play in the left back position, although he is a central defender by nature. However, since joining from Ajax Amsterdam last summer, he has struggled to get used to the physical world of the Premier League.
Furthermore, despite being a right-back by nature, Malo Gusto can provide cover at the other end if necessary. Levi Colwill is also comfortable in the left back position, but has been ruled out for the season due to a serious knee injury.
So it seems that the West London club has started exploring the possibilities of signing a new left back to support Cucurella. Caught offside claim the Blues have identified Ahanor as a serious option after being impressed by his recent promising performances.
Chelsea have focused on signing highly talented youngsters since the acquisition of Todd Boehly and aim to follow the same path. They plan to sign Ahanor and then loan him out before integrating him into the first team.
However, the 18-year-old’s signing won’t be easy for the west London club as Manchester City and Arsenal have also closely monitored his development in recent months.
The Citizens and the Gunners are even willing to make a formal offer of £30 million to secure the youngster’s service, with the player’s existing deal running until 2028.
Conflict
Arsenal already have Riccardo Calafiori, Piero Hincapié and Myles Lewis-Skelly and no longer need to invest to further develop the left back position unless someone leaves.
Ahanor is a left-footed defender who feels comfortable in the left back and center back positions. Additionally, he can provide cover for the LWB role if necessary.
The Nigerian is fast, strong, controlled in possession, reads the game well and is also efficient in defensive contributions.
It will be interesting to see whether the North London club or the West London club will ultimately make a concrete move to secure his services in the upcoming summer transfer window.
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