Football journalist Duncan Castles has shared some insight into a potential summer transfer move from Chelsea for Brighton and Hove Albion defender Lewis Dunk.
This comes after Castles recently made an appearance on The Transfer Window podcast to talk through the latest transfer rumours concerning a range of Premier League clubs.
After it was recently reported that Chelsea are interested in signing the centre-half this summer, Castles shared his thoughts on the potential deal.
He said: “Well, the information I have is that an enquiry has gone into Lewis Dunk’s representatives at Brighton. Dunk, 28-years-old, would like to play in the European Championship for England. I think if a club of Chelsea’s stature were to make a formal offer for the player, Brighton would listen to that.
“They are a club who respect the ambitions of the players and would allow a player who has given them as great service as Dunk has to move to another club like Chelsea if they see that opportunity for him to play Champions League football and to compete for the Premier League title if the money is right. I don’t think Dunk would be cheap from Brighton, for obvious reasons, but I don’t think he would be [as] expensive as [Ben] Chilwell or [Declan] Rice.”
After making his senior debut for Brighton back in 2010, Dunk has gone to make a total of 306 appearances for the club, in which he has managed to score 19 goals and provide 14 assists along the way (per Transfermarkt).
The 2019/20 Premier League season saw Dunk, who is currently valued at £18 million, make 36 league appearances for the club, scoring three goals and providing three assists throughout the campaign.
The 28-year-old’s performances in those 36 appearances earned him a season rating of 6.89/10, making him Brighton’s second-highest-rated player for the 2019/20 Premier League season (per WhoScored).
Would you take Lewis Dunk at Chelsea this summer?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts…
With Dunk having a good season with Brighton last year, it’s understandable why he has now been linked with a move away to Chelsea.
And given that Frank Lampard’s side conceded a total of 54 goals in the Premier League last season, the most of any team that finished in the top half of the league table, it’s clear why they would be interested in bringing Dunk into their squad for next season to help boost their defensive line.