In an effort to bolster the centre of the pitch after N’Golo Kante left for the Saudi Pro League, Chelsea has been linked to a Real Madrid superstar.
According to reports, incoming manager Mauricio Pochettino is “obsessed” with Uruguayan midfielder Fede Valverde and has made an initial proposal of €120 million (£100 million) plus €20 million (£17 million) in add-ons for the player.
Fede Valderde, Recent Chelsea transfers
In an effort to recover from a disastrous Premier League season that saw the blues finish in the bottom half of the standings, Chelsea is looking to revamp their midfield.
After Kante left, Chelsea seemed ready to sell midfielders Mateo Kovacic to reigning champions Manchester City and Ruben Loftus-Cheek to Champions League semifinalist AC Milan.
Chelsea also turned down the opportunity to make Denis Zakaria’s loan from Juventus a permanent deal.
According to DefensaCentral in Spain, the London club has made a bid for Real Madrid’s top midfielder Fede Valverde that is beyond £100 million.
Fede Valverde should Chelsea sign him?
A notable example of Valverde’s importance to Real Madrid is his assistance on Vinicius Jr.’s game-winning goal against Liverpool in the Champions League final.
The 24-year-old machine cost just £4.5 million when it transferred from Uruguayan club Penarol to Los Blancos’ academy in 2016, but Transfermarkt estimates that it is now worth £85 million.
Valverde, a versatile midfielder who can also play on the right wing, helped Real this season by scoring seven goals and dishing out four assists.
Does Fede Valverde possess Jude Bellingham’s talent?
Joe Cole, the champion of Chelsea, previously spoke highly of the 6-foot midfielder, even drawing comparisons between the Uruguayan international and Jude Bellingham of England.
Following Real’s 5-1 thrashing of SPFL winners Celtic in this season’s winners League, the former Blues star remarked, “He’s been able to bide his time and learn from the likes of Casemiro, Kroos, and Modric.”
He and Jude Bellingham are at the top of the young players’ rankings, and he’s on the verge of surpassing them all.
“We talk a lot about Bellingham in England, but this kid is just as good as he is.”
Bellingham appears ready to turn down English offers in favour of joining Los Blancos, although it is unclear whether the former Birmingham City midfielder’s addition will force Valverde out of the starting lineup.
Bellingham replacing one of those two actual legends rather than Valverde seems more plausible given that Toni Kroos, 33, and Luka Modric, 37, are nearing the end of their careers.
However, Todd Boehly and company shouldn’t give up trying to get his signature despite this.