‘Head has been turned’: Chelsea’s interest in ‘breathless’ player has tempted him to leave – journalist

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Journalist Simon Phillips has claimed on his Substack that Chelsea have turned the head of Inter Milan defender Denzel Dumfries.

The wing-back is currently enjoying a strong World Cup campaign with Netherlands.

The 3-1 Round of 16 win over USA was largely down to Dumfries. He scored once and assisted the other two as they sent Christian Pulisic’s side home.

This display brought a lot of praise from pundit Micah Richards, who described him as ‘breathless’.

Chelsea were strongly linked with a move for Dumfries over the summer, as they prepared for the likelihood of a world without Cesar Azpilicueta.

However, the Spaniard stayed at the club, meaning the need for the signing fell in the priority order.

Dumfries head turned by Chelsea

Phillips has now claimed that the Blues are still keen on the signing, which has not gone unnoticed by the player.

He said: “After checking in with sources this weekend, it’s clear that Chelsea are still keen on Dumfries and are watching him closely at the World Cup. 

“He doesn’t have a long contract as such, but he is still contracted until 2025, which gives Inter some leeway. I’m not sure if Chelsea will want to pay that much for competition for Reece James, and I’m also not sure if Dumfries will come to Chelsea to directly compete with Reece James, knowing that would be an uphill struggle.

“It all depends on how much he backs himself, but I am also told that his head has been turned by our interest.”

With Reece James’ injury record plaguing his fantastic abilities, a strong back-up should absolutely be on the agenda in the coming transfer windows.

While Dumfries’ attacking attributes are clear to see, his defensive limitations will certainly be known to Chelsea’s scouting team. If the plan is to move to a back four, there may be better options out there.