Chelsea to move for Andre Onana and Nicolas Tagliafico
According to a report from the Mirror, Chelsea could be set for a double raid on Eredivisie giants Ajax for the signings of goalkeeper Andre Onana and left-back Nicolas Tagliafico.
The Blues have already raided Ajax for the signing of Hakim Ziyech and may yet again be involved with the club for two more transfers for Onana and Tagliafico.
It is no secret that manager Frank Lampard is in the transfer market for a new goalkeeper and left-back, given that the current options have failed to live up to expectations.
Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak is believed to be the club’s top transfer target for the goalkeeping spot. However, the Slovenian international is valued at around £100m release clause.
Onana, to that end, is considered a cheaper alternative to the Atletico Madrid star. The Cameroonian international will cost us only around £30m, saving us about £70m.
A similar situation has ensued at the left-back slot. Leicester City’s Ben Chilwell is Lampard’s preferred option for the club, but is valued at a whopping £80m by the Foxes. (h/t Mirror)
Tagliafico, in comparison, would come at a much more reasonable transfer fee of around £22.5m. Thus, signing Onana and Tagliafico in place of Oblak and Chilwell could save us almost £130m. (h/t Express)
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While Oblak is easily one of the best goalkeepers in the game, Onana, too, has demonstrated great ability during his time at Ajax and would be a quality alternative.
Tagliafico, in comparison to Chilwell, is more experienced at the highest level and would be an equally effective option for the left-back slot.
With a new centre-back also needed, Chelsea need to be smart in the transfer market. If there is a possibility of saving £130m by going for two players who would bring almost the same level of quality as our primary targets, then we should go for it.
