Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

Denzel Dumfries: Todd Boehly makes Chelsea move as harsh transfer reality hits for Ten Hag, Man Utd

Denzel Dumfries, Inter Milan right-back, during Serie A match v Sampdoria

Chelsea are ready to move on from their Julkes Kounde transfer disappointment by stealing in to beat Manchester United to the signing of Denzel Dumfries.

Blues boss Thomas Tuchel has made no secret of his wish to strengthen his defensive options this summer. And while he has brought in Kalidou Koulibaly in a £34m deal from Napoli, the losses of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen leave them a man light. For a long time it looked like Kounde would fill that gap, until Barcelona seemingly beat them to his signature.

However, it could get worse before it gets better for the Blues. To that end, Barcelona also remain on the trail of Cesar Azopilicueta and Marcos Alonso.

That said, it seems Chelsea may soon have relief in the shape of Dumfries.

Operating in a wing-back role, the Netherlands defender has become a hugely-influential star at Inter. Signing for a bargain £12.7m (€15m) deal last summer, Dumfries claimed five goals and four assists in 33 Serie A appearances last season.

Indeed, such was his impact that Inter fans soon forgot about the departure Acharf Hakimi’s departure to PSG.

However, finances still remain tight at the San Siro and they still need to raise £51m (€60m) to fall in line with FFP stipulations.

As such, a number of their star men are seemingly up for grabs, with Milan Skriniar and Nicolo Barella among those in demand.

But a report on Sunday suggested that Dumfries could be the first one out the door, with Manchester United preparing a move.

Inter are seemingly most open to his sale, with their asking price set at around £34m (€40m). That would see them come close to trebling their outlay from just 12 months previous.

Chelsea rekindle efforts to sign Denzel Dumfries

United’s interest in Dumfries, however, appears to have reawaken Chelsea’s interest in the 26-year-old.

As per il Gazzetta dello Sport, Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has ‘returned to enquire’ about the Dutchman.

He was brought up as part of the coversation that saw Romelu Lukaku return to the San Siro.

Ultimately, the two clubs decided to settle on a straight dry loan arrangement for the Belgian hitman. But news of Chelsea’s Kounde failure, together with interest in Azpilicueta, has seen them reignite their interest in Dumfries.

Il Gazzetta claims Boehly, acting as Chelsea’s sporting director until an appointment is made, was in contact with Inter officials on Monday. They state he has ‘made his move’ for the right wing-back after sounding them out over their asking price.

The report claims Boehly feels the asking price for Dumfries is slightly too high at this stage. However, the Chelsea owner could yet come back with a firm proposal for the former PSV Eindhoven star.

United likely to miss out on Inter star

As such, it appears Chelsea are in the driving seat with regards the signing of Denzel Dumfries. He is seen as a perfect fit for the 3-4-3 system that Tuchel prefers, given Inter operate, tactically, in a very similar fashion.

The news will come as a disappointment to Manchester United, with Ten Hag a known admirer of the player too.

However, the United boss is seemingly putting all other deals on hold until he knows the outcome of the Frenkie de Jong saga. The Red Devils have pursued the Barcelona midfielder all summer long. But with only a limited budget to spend, other targets for United, such as Dumfries, are on the backburner.

The reality of thaat situation, though, means that United are likely to miss out on the signing of the Dutchman.

Ten Hag is looking for upgrades all over the park, including at right-back, where Aaron Wan-Bissaka has struggled.

However, landing a new midfielder remains his No 1 objective. And the harsh reality of their De Jong chase means they will likely now miss Dumfries.