Leicester City ‘are already dealing’ with Ajax left-back Nicolas Tagliafico, who is being lined up as Ben Chilwell’s replacement amid reports linking the Englishman with a move to Chelsea, according to Italian publication Calciomercato.
According to Sky Sports, Chelsea’s deal for Chilwell is ‘getting closer’ and Calciomercato has claimed that the Foxes are already working on a deal for his replacement – in the form of Argentina international Tagliafico.
The 27-year-old is currently valued at £25.2m according to Transfermarkt, however, this report claims that Ajax are asking for a €45m (£40.58m) transfer fee for the player.
In addition to reporting that Chelsea’s move for Chilwell is ‘getting closer’, Sky Sports has also claimed that Tagliafico is being targeted by the Blues, ‘if a move for Chilwell cannot be agreed.’
According to WhoScored, both Tagliafico and Chilwell like to play short passes and that may be a trait that both Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers and Chelsea boss Frank Lampard value in their players, considering that the Foxes and the Blues kept the fourth and third-highest average possession percentages in the Premier League last season respectively, while Leicester and Chelsea also ended the 2019/20 campaign with the sixth and second-highest pass accuracy percentages in England’s top-flight respectively.
With that in mind, it may be understandable why both of these teams appear to hold both Chilwell and Tagliafico in high esteem.
Would Tagliafico be a good replacement for Chilwell?
YES
NO
TIF Thoughts…
It has been reported that Leicester are hoping to receive £80m for Chilwell, while Calciomercato has claimed that Tagliafico is available for about half that price.
As per WhoScored, the Argentinian’s impressive 7.3 overall rating for the 2019/20 Eredivisie season, along with his 7.57 rating in the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League, does indicate that he performed well at Ajax last season and if the Foxes believe that he could effectively replace Chilwell in their system, then this could prove to be a good bit of business from Leicester.