CHELSEA have been handed a major boost in their pursuit of Ben Chilwell as Leicester are reportedly lining up a move for Ajax left-back Nicolas Tagliafico.
The Blues have been after the English ace for some time as they look to replace Emerson and Marcos Alonso this summer.
And the deal could be one step closer as the Foxes have highlighted Argentine Tagliafico as the man to replace Chilwell, according to the Mirror.
The East Midlands side have not named a price for the England international who is also said to have attracted interest from Manchester City.
But having previously cashed in on Harry Maguire and Riyad Mahrez, if an offer ‘too good to refuse’ comes in, they will likely sell up.
Frank Lampard is said to have made Chilwell his No1 transfer priority for the upcoming window.
With Marcos Alonso and Emerson both struggling to impress this season, a new left-back is certainly on the wish list.
And Chilwell being young and English, with 95 Premier League appearances under his belt after replacing title-winning defender Christian Fuchs, makes him an ideal candidate.
He has impressed once again this term with two goals and three assists, including a goal against Chelsea in February.
But after Chelsea were made aware of Tagliafico’s relatively low fee and the fact that the Argentine is keen on a move to England, they were lining him up as a backup option if the Chilwell deal fell through.
But now it appears the Foxes will use the Argentine as the man to replace 23-year-old Chilwell.
Tagliafico has evolved into one of Europe’s best left-backs since arriving at the Johan Cruyff Arena in 2018.
The 27-year-old shone in Ajax’s run to the semi-finals of the Champions League last year but now it seems he is ready to move on to pastures new.
The defender’s agent Ricardo Schlieper recently said: “We are looking for a transfer for Tagliafico.
“We have agreed with Ajax that he would leave this year. After having spent two-and-a-half seasons at the club, it’s the ideal moment for it.
“If football goes back to being normal, a transfer could be done for Tagliafico.
“There are clubs that are interested but we have to see how everything pans out with football and the pandemic.
“I will never mention a name of the club we are speaking with because it hurts the negotiations for us and the player.”
