Chelsea are reportedly looking to give French giants Paris Saint-Germain stiff competition in their pursuit of Brazilian left-back Alex Telles.
Telles is now plying his trade for Portuguese side FC Porto. His contract runs out in 2021, and according to reports by the Daily Mail, he is unwilling to extend his association with the club.
In such a situation, Porto are willing to offload the left-back now for a decent fee, instead of losing a player of his stature for free in the summer 2021 or possibly for a cut-price fee in January 2021.
This has alerted both Ligue 1 table-toppers PSG and Chelsea, and both clubs are eager to get a deal done as quickly as possible.
PSG have had issues with the left-back position because of a long list of injuries, while Frank Lampard could do with a new left-back as well.
Alex Telles – Fact file
Alex Telles started his career at Brazilian side Esporte Clube Juventude. Though he played in the Serie D with Juventude, he impressed during his spell with Brazilian Serie A side Gremio.
Turkish giants Galatasaray was quick to acknowledge his potential, and signed him in 2014 for a fee of €6 million. After impressing in the Super Lig, Telles caught the attention of Inter Milan.
He spent a year on loan at the Italian club. The Nerazzurri had the option to sign him at the end of his loan spell for €8.5 million, but they ultimately missed out on his services.
Porto jumped on it and secured his signature for a meagre €6.5 million. Since then, he has been a crucial figure in Porto’s backline, and has played 170 matches for the club.
Alex Telles: A good option for Chelsea?
It is clear that Frank Lampard is not a big fan of either Emerson Palmieri or Marcos Alonso. Hence, he prefers to play club captain Cesar Azpilicueta at left-back instead of his natural right-back position.
Lampard is willing to bring a new left-back to West London, and names like Ben Chilwell and Jose Luis Gaya have been doing rounds.
Telles might prove to be a viable option for a much lesser price. Lampard wants an attack-minded left-back, and Telles fits his requirement perfectly.
The Brazilian has scored 16 goals for Porto so far. In the current season alone, he has found the back of the net 5 times.
Telles has also got 8 assists to his name, and would be a good attack-minded option on the left-flank.
With Azpilicueta getting older and Telles’ contract at Porto running out, he might be the perfect player who Lampard is looking for.