Chelsea interested in signing £33m midfielder who takes inspiration from Rodri

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Chelsea have an embarrassment of riches to select from inside the dressing room, but they’ve just been linked with a potential new midfield signing.

When you look at the current Chelsea squad, it’s pretty strong in most areas. The fact that Blues manager Enzo Maresca has been able to completely shuffle his pack between Premier League and cup games this season is telling of the strength in depth.

However, the Chelsea owners have proven themselves to be extremely ambitious during their time in charge, which is why fans have become used to lots of activity in the transfer windows.

In terms of the Blues midfield, they’ve got some high-profile footballers to pick from. As it stands, Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia are the preferred starting central midfielders ahead of Enzo Fernandez. Pat Nevin has explained why it’ll be difficult for Fernandez to break back into the Chelsea XI.

• READ MORE: Premier League pundit says whether Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo is now the best midfielder in England

Chelsea interested in Torino midfielder Samuele Ricci

According to CaughtOffside, Chelsea are among the selection of high-profile clubs showing an interest in signing Torino star Samuele Ricci.

It is explained that Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester City are keen on the 23-year-old midfielder, who’s a key player for Italian Serie A club Torino. There’s even stronger interest from domestic rivals Inter Milan, too.

The report adds that Torino could demand around €40m (£33m) to sell their defensive midfielder.

Ricci, who’s got three senior Italy caps and counting, is a talisman for his club side. Will he soon make the leap to join an elite club, though?

His valuation does look like it could represent great value for money in the market, but there’s an argument to be made that Chelsea don’t need to sign any extra central midfielders.

It’s worth remembering that the Blues still have exciting 20-year-old midfielder Andrey Santos shining on loan at Strasbourg. Chelsea have been super impressed with the performances of Santos so far this season.

Samuele Ricci idolises Rodri

For those who’ve never watched Ricci, he’s a deep-lying midfielder who’s intelligent in possession and strong in his defensive work. Therefore, it’s no real surprise that the Torino ace looks up to Manchester City midfielder and 2024 Ballon d’Or winner Rodri.

Speaking via TuttoMercatoWeb two months ago, Ricci said: “I see who is in my role, one in particular Rodri. Now he is the best of the best and I try to take inspiration from players like him.”

Unless Chelsea plan to get rid of one or two midfielders, the recruitment staff may want to hold fire on adding more.