Report: Chelsea among likely summer destinations for seven-goal soon-to-be free agent
Chelsea are the most likely option for Ivan Perisic if he decides to leave Inter Milan on a free transfer this summer, according to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport.
While Ben Chilwell has recently returned to training and is expected to be back in the squad next season, Chelsea will have to make a decision for the left-back position this summer.
Marcos Alonso will soon enter the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge and has been linked with a move to Barcelona.
Emerson Palmieri and Ian Maatsen, who will also return from loan spells at Lyon and Coventry City, could be options.
Back in January, Thomas Tuchel previously expressed his desire to work with Emerson again, but it remains unclear whether the Italy international would agree to play a backup role for another.
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Meanwhile, Maatsen obviously lacks experience at the top level despite his talent.
Tuchel’s decision to recall Kenedy instead of Maatsen in January might suggest that the manager was not fully convinced by the teenager.
Dipping into the transfer market is always an option for Chelsea, but it makes very little sense to allocate funds for left-backs when they have to replace Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen as well.
It is a different story if the targets are soon-to-be free agents, such as Perisic, however.
Experienced, versatile Perisic could be great addition to Chelsea squad
The 33-year-old is also a versatile winger who can cover multiple positions for Chelsea.
Corriere dello Sport claims that Perisic has made it clear that he is not interested in joining Juventus and would prefer to go to England if he decided to leave Italy.
However, Inter have reportedly not given up on keeping the Croatia international, having already offered the player a new two-year deal.
Interestingly, the report also mentioned that Chelsea turned down the opportunity to swap Alonso and Perisic last summer.
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