Ricardo Rodriguez, who was courted by Arsenal before being rebuffed by the asking price, is reportedly Chelsea’s number one priority for the left back position. With Baba Rahman’s loan deal to Schalke, Chelsea are currently understaffed in the full back department.
The Daily Mirror claims that Chelsea are plotting a behind-the-scenes swoop for Wolfsburg’s £22 million-rated defender. The Blues are yet to bring a high profile player this season. Their continued failure to secure Koulibaly goes to show just how difficult it is to attract top players without the attraction of Champions League.
The Left Back Situation
Baba Rahman’s departure means the only senior player who can play at left back is Cesar Azpilicueta. Branislav Ivanovic certainly remains an option, while young Dutch starlet Nathan Ake has been loaned to Bournemouth to gain experience.
Rodriguez is one of the best in his position and easily the most sought after left backs in the world. But Wolfsburg, despite making it to the quarter finals of the Champions League last season, finished 8th in Bundesliga at the end of the season. As a result, they did not qualify for the Champions League.
Several Wolfsburg stars are already linked with moves away from the club. Julian Draxler has openly declared war against the club and it will be difficult to convince him to stay, with Arsenal closing in on the winger. Luis Gustavo is linked with a move to Juventus. It remains to be seen whether Wolfsburg can hold on to their players or not.
The Cuadrado Situation
It was thought earlier that Juan Cuadrado would stay at Chelsea after Juve had acquired Croatian Marko Pjaca from Dinamo Zagreb last month. Cuadrado had been a favourite of Conte’s since his time in Juventus, so it was naturally thought that Conte would like to retain the Colombian.
Di Marzio says that there has been contact with the player’s agent Alessandro Lucci, who has also been in contact with Chelsea. The objective for Cuadrado is to come back to Turin with another loan deal. However, the clubs are far from agreeing a deal as of now. Juventus will only look to loan the player with an option to purchase at the end of the term, as for them Cuadrado would be a luxury signing.
