Cedric on radar as Chelsea plan spree
Chelsea have turned their attention to Southampton’s Cedric Soares as they attempt to sign at least three new players before the transfer window closes.
One of those is unlikely to be Alex Sandro, though, as the champions have been rebuffed in their latest attempt to sign the left-back from Juventus, despite understanding that the Brazilian is keen on a move. They are expected to table another bid.
Cedric and Alex Sandro would add to Chelsea’s squad as full-backs or wing-backs. They would also provide competition for Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso and allow head coach Antonio Conte to switch formations.
Chelsea are not only interested in Cedric for their right flank, however, with Serge Aurier having been told he is up for sale by Paris St-germain and needing to make a fresh start to revitalise his career. Interest has also been registered in Valencia’s Joao Cancelo.
More ambitiously, the London club are still interested in Alex Oxlade-chamberlain, who has gone into his final year of contract at Arsenal but the England international has been told, so far, that Arsene Wenger will not sell him.
Another move for Leicester City’s Danny Drinkwater is also expected by Chelsea, who continue to monitor what will happen with Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk as they run through their options to improve the squad before the transfer window closes at the end of this month.
Meanwhile, Conte is pushing Chelsea to sign players he knows from Italy. He likes Inter Milan’s Antonio Candreva, for example, but at 30 the Italian international does not necessarily fit the profile of a player the club want to sign.
Cedric does. The 25-year-old Portuguese international has been under consideration by Chelsea for some time as he is regarded as an ideal addition to their squad. He would also appear to be cheaper than other options and while Chelsea have not made a formal bid, it is unlikely that they would be offering more than £15-£20million for the defender, who was signed from Sporting in 2015 for £4.7million on a four-year deal.
Cedric agreed a new contract last year taking him to 2020 and has performed well at Southampton, as well as being part of the Portugal squad who won Euro 2016. He has also been a linked with a move to Barcelona. It remains to be seen whether Southampton, who still have to resolve Van Dijk’s future after he submitted a transfer request, would countenance selling him.
Conte has complained vociferously about how thin his squad is despite signing Alvaro Morata, for a club-record fee that could rise to £70 million, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Antonio Rudiger. However, Chelsea have lost Nemanja Matic and John Terry, while Diego Costa remains in exile as he pushes for a move back to Atletico Madrid.
Conte has also sent a number of potential first-team squad players out on loan, with Nathan Ake and Nathaniel Chalobah being sold.
There was some good news for Chelsea, with Eden Hazard returning to training yesterday for the first time since breaking an ankle while on duty with Belgium in June. Hazard may still be some way off a return to first-team action, according to Conte.
Bakayoko, who is recovering from knee surgery, also took part in the session, although Pedro sat it out as he recovers from an ankle problem ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash away to Tottenham.