To put Chelsea back on their trophy-hogging way, reinforcements will be needed, especially as rivals take further steps to ensure they remain above the Blues in the Premier League and beyond.
The two main areas of concern are central and attacking midfield, and it's the latter where Chelsea may have be looking first, as according to Bordeaux-based newspaper Sud-Ouest (via Get French Football News), the Londoners had a meeting with the representatives of Brazilian right winger Malcom. Of course, they are not alone in the race (are they ever?) as Liverpool also encountered his agents recently.
Although the report claims neither club followed their interest with something concrete such as a formal approach, with Inter Milan now talking with Malcom’s entourage, it is still a good look. After all, Malcom is exactly the player that Chelsea need to target: a talented and promising 21-year-old coming from a great year in Ligue 1, where he topped his team’s offensive stat-sheet with 12 goals and 7 assists in 35 league appearances.
He was also a target of Arsenal, Tottenham and Bayern Munich earlier this year, and it is likely that their interest has been kept as he finished with 3 goals and an assist in the season’s last three matches. He is also set to leave the club this summer, as revealed by him in an interview to UOL back in February.
“Yes, there was a promise that I will be negotiating in June. I will choose the team, and Bordeaux will let me go. I already said that I would have liked to leave this winter to meet new challenges. But I must also remember that Bordeaux helped me a lot.”
“I gave my word to Bordeaux that I will continue [with the club] to be able to have more time to choose my future club. These next three or four months will make a big difference.”
-Malcom; Source: UOL via Telegraph
A then-quoted price of £50 million four months ago may have risen a bit. But it could be a risk worth taking if it means no longer having to worry about the quality of our right wing, similar to Eden Hazard’s effect on us six years ago.