Agent links Chelsea to potential Filipe Luis replacement

Chelsea continue to hunt for a new left back following the sale of Filipe Luis to Atletico Madrid, and on Friday, we've got some fresh quotes about the Blues' interest in Galatasaray fullback Alex Telles. Fernando Otto, who represents the Brazilian, had the following to say to Eurosport Turkey:

"There are clubs that are making offers, although none have been official. He could play for Chelsea and PSG without using a foreign player space due to having an Italian passport, but he is happy at Galatasaray."

Having an Italian passport does nothing for Telles in England, except guaranteeing that the player won't have work permit issues. The fullback won't qualify as homegrown regardless, and I'd think that the agent would be well aware of this fact if there was serious interest from Chelsea.

That Italian passport would be a big factor if Telles were to sign with an Italian club, such as Inter Milan, who Otto claims have interest as well:

"Telles developed under Mancini it is no surprise that Mancini wants him but no formal offer has been made. I have good relations with the manager and we often meet but there is no deal on the table."

This sounds to me like an agent trying to push Inter to make a move for the player, by hinting that bigger, richer clubs might come calling if they don't move quickly. As a target, Baba Rahman continues to make a lot more sense for Chelsea, even if he's likely to cost quite a bit more than the Brazilian playing in Turkey, and I just can't imagine that the Blues will make any sort of approach for Telles if the Ghanaian is still a viable option.