Chelsea could be about to break the bank for one central defender after following him for a long time.
Chelsea are not short of centre-halves, with Enzo Maresca having Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi all to call upon.
Defensively this season, though, the Blues have looked a bit shaky at times, already conceding 10 goals in the Premier League.
There was some uncertainty surrounding Colwill’s future when Chelsea’s sporting directors first arrived at the club, but the 21-year-old is now a mainstay in the team’s defence.
Chelsea looking at Ronald Araujo
There is a possibility of Colwill and Chelsea’s other central defenders being joined at the club by Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo.
According to journalist Simon Phillips, Chelsea are looking at Araujo and have been tracking him for a while.
Discussing the club’s interest in the 25-year-old on Substack, Phillips said: “SPTC sources have heard once again this week that Chelsea are really looking at Barcelona centre back Ronald Araujo and will continue scouting him when he is back.
“This is a player Chelsea have been watching for some time, but he has recently had a lengthy spell out injured so it’s died off a bit. However, Chelsea are still very much there for him.”
This is not the first time that Chelsea have been linked with Araujo. In May, it was claimed that Chelsea actually made an offer for Araujo.
According to a report from Sport back then, Barcelona wanted around €100m (£83.3m) for the Uruguayan.
How likely are Chelsea to sign Ronald Araujo?
Chelsea have Colwill, who is a jewel from the club’s academy, and Fofana, a £70m centre-half.
The Blues may very well go on to sign a new centre-back next year, especially if Badiashile or Disasi depart Stamford Bridge.
But given that they do have Colwill and Fofana, it would be a bit odd for them to spend silly money on Araujo.
If his reported price tag from the previous transfer window drops, then it is not impossible. But if not, the Uruguay international moving to west London seems unlikely.
There is obviously room for improvement with Colwill and Fofana, who are both still quite young defenders. You could see that in Chelsea’s defeat against Liverpool on Sunday when the former made a careless challenge that resulted in a penalty. But they have so much talent; now is not the time to consider replacing one of them.
