Three left-backs Chelsea should target as Alex Telles alternative

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Bengaluru, April 22: Chelsea are set to face a major blow in the transfer market with reports emerging in France that Paris Saint-Germain are set to sign Alex Telles in the summer. The 27-year-old was pretty much the priority target of Frank Lampard for the summer due to his comparatively low fee.

The Brazilian is contracted to Portuguese giants FC Porto until the summer of 2021 and they are believed to be open to selling him on the cheap this summer rather than losing him for nothing in a year.

But, it seems that PSG are leading the race to sign the bombarding Brazilian full-back in the summer on a bargain of £21.8 million which means Chelsea now have to look elsewhere. They certainly need to bolster at the left-back position which has been an area of concern for them in recent years. In this article, we will look at three left-backs they should target as alternatives to Telles.

Ben Chilwell - Leicester City

The English full-back has been long linked with the Blues and was believed to be their priority target before they switched their focus on Alex Telles. The reason why Lampard had to do that was Chilwell's high asking price. He is one of the best full-backs in the Premier League and Leicester City are themselves in a strong position to negotiate as well. The Foxes, anyway, has a reputation for being difficult negotiators.

Chilwell is a full-back who contributes both in the defence, as well as in the attack, and is hardly exposed unlike Marcus Alonso or Emerson Palmieri. The 23-year-old boasts a passing accuracy of 78.2% this season while averaging 1.2 key passes every 90 minutes which speaks for his excellent creative ability. His defensive stats are equally impressive with a tackling success rate of around 60% and he is also excellent in the air which is evident from his 2.2 aerial duels won per game.

Leicester City are likely to demand more than £60 million for Chilwell's services. That is pretty high but for a 23-year-old full-back who is already one of the best in the league, it is not an unreasonable asking price at all. If money is not a problem, Chelsea signing Chilwell would be an absolute no-brainer.

Nicolas Tagliafico - Ajax

Since the Argentine international joined Eredivisie giants Ajax in the summer of 2017, Tagliafico has established himself as one of Europe’s most consistent left-backs. It is high time for him to make his move to a bigger club in the top five leagues in Europe and Chelsea can certainly offer him that opportunity.

Arsenal, Chelsea's bitter local rivals, have made several failed attempts to sign the 27-year-old in the past and it is likely that a number of top clubs across Europe will be chasing his signature this summer as well.

Tagliafico is easily the best full-back in Eredivisie and is one of the best all-round full-backs in Europe as well. He boasts an impressive passing accuracy of 83.8% this season while averaging an open-play expected goals assisted of 0.27.

Defensively, the Argentine is equally influential and that is evident from his figures of 4.5 tackles, 3 interceptions and 2.7 clearances per 90 minutes. He is also likely to cost much lesser than Chilwell, making him an excellent option for the Blues.

Alex Grimaldo - SL Benfica

If Chelsea did look to the Portuguese Primeira Liga to bolster their left-back position, they should have gotten rave reviews about Benfica full-back Alex Grimaldo. The Spaniard is one of best full-backs in the league along with Alex Telles and is three years younger than the Brazilian.

The 24-year-old, who graduated from the famed La Masia youth academy of Barcelona, is similar to Jordi Alba in many ways and Chelsea should certainly consider a move for the bombarding full-back.

Grimaldo has one goal and eight assists to his name this season in 39 games. He is a menace going forward and is defensively pretty solid too. The Spaniard boats a passing success rate of 81.7% this campaign. He has 2.2 key passes to his name every 90 minutes this season while averaging 1.3 shots every game.

He might have short frame of 5 ft 5 in but makes up for it with his pace as it is very difficult to outrun him. A long-term prospect, Grimaldo would be an excellent signing by Chelsea if available at the right price.