Chelsea Transfer Rumors: Chelsea Interested in Ajax Defender Davinson Sanchez
Early on, Chelsea established themselves as the team to beat this season and they never let up on their way to their fifth Premier League title. But with long-time captain John Terry leaving, the newly-crowned champions will have to find his successor this summer if they want to defend their title.
They can go after veteran centre-backs like Paris Saint-Germain's Marquinhos or Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly. But according to Spanish publication Sport, Chelsea want to bring Ajax's Davinson Sánchez to Stamford Bridge and they are prepared to compete with Spanish giants Barcelona for the Colombian centre-back's signature.
The publication has also reported that Manchester United have launched a €70 million bid for Marquinhos, so he may no longer be an option.
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Sánchez is not as highly-rated as Marquinhos, but he's a more realistic target for Chelsea. Of course, they will still have to convince Ajax to let him leave, but at least they don't have to spend too much money to get him. The transfer fee for Marquinhos is just ridiculously high for a defender.
Barcelona actually tried to sign Sánchez last year, but he decided to turn him down when he realized that he wouldn't be playing on their first team. If he joined them they would have placed him on their B team. Instead, Sánchez signed a five-year deal with Ajax.
Sánchez has been impressive in his first season with Ajax and he is drawing a lot of interest again with his play. He helped Ajax finish second in the Eredivisie and they still have to play Manchester United in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Europa League finals on Wednesday, May 24. But once that is done, Sánchez may become available.
Chelsea managed to concentrate on the Premier League this season because they failed to qualify for the Champions League and Europa League tournaments last year. But things are going to be different next season so they will have to strengthen their squad if they want to repeat as league champions.
