Chelsea are now trying to find an alternative midfield target after being told by Ajax that they will not Edson Alvarez despite the £43million bid, according to The Telegraph.
Ajax’s clear stance, while hardly a surprise, is described as a “blow” to Chelsea, who are “desperately” trying to add a midfielder to Thomas Tuchel’s squad.
An earlier report from Dutch outlet De Telegraaf claimed that Alvarez had not given up on joining Chelsea despite being informed of Ajax’s decision, but his being under contract until 2025 means the club have the final say.
As a result, The Telegraph claims that Chelsea are now “frantically” looking at other options before tonight’s deadline day.
Another midfielder who has been linked with Chelsea recently is PSV’s Ibrahim Sangare.
However, PSV are in a similar situation to Ajax that they would not be able to sign a replacement if they were to allow the Ivory Coast international to join Chelsea.
Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano even claimed that there was no negotiation between Chelsea and PSV for Sangare, who was unlikely to move for anything other than a “huge” proposal anyway.
Chelsea’s being close to allowing Ethan Ampadu and Billy Gilmour to leave on loan to Spezia and permanently to Brighton, respectively, arguably puts the London club in a worse situation.
Obviously, the Blues have just signed two midfield talents in Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesare Casadei this summer, but it remains to be seen whether they are ready at the highest level yet.
Keep up to date with all the latest Chelsea news and opinion by following The Chelsea Chronicle’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
