Chelsea edge closer to Denzel Dumfries transfer after Sergino Dest blow, as Inter begin search for Dutchman’s replacement

Chelsea are seemingly moving closer to signing Denzel Dumfries from Inter Milan amid claims the Italian club have begun searching for his replacement.

Inter spent around £12.3million when capturing Dumfries from PSV last summer. He was taken to the San Siro as Achraf Hakimi’s successor, following the Moroccan’s move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Chelsea were linked with Hakimi before he went to France. Thomas Tuchel already has Reece James available at right wing-back but wants a new option so the Englishman can start to play on the right side of a back three.

This need has become even more pressing amid Chelsea’s troublesome centre-half search. Jules Kounde is set to join Barcelona, Wesley Fofana will costa huge sum and Presnel Kimpembe wants to stay at PSG.

The Blues have managed to bolster their defence with the arrival of Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli. But Barca are pushing to land Cesar Azpilicueta, which threatens to offset Koulibaly’s signing.

After losing out on Hakimi, Chelsea set their sights on Barca’s Sergino Dest. But Xavi recently confirmed his desire to retain the player.

The coach said (via Fabrizio Romano): “He’s fast and defends well. He’s [a] good player, still young and important for the future.”

With this in mind, Chelsea are looking at Inter star Dumfries instead. The 26-year-old is a target for Manchester United, but Chelsea owner Todd Boehly wants his club to put up fierce competition.

Denzel Dumfries has reasonable price tag

As per Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter will demand £34million (€40m) for Dumfries. This is a significant price for a right wing-back, but Dumfries will have the necessary impact to make this worthwhile.

Last term, he registered five goals and seven assists during 45 appearances across all competitions.

According to Calciomercato, Inter are aware of Chelsea’s desire to land Dumfries and have begun to look at potential replacements.

Their priority is Torino and Ivory Coast full-back Wilfred Singo. He is 21 years old and is already an important part of the Torino setup, having made 36 appearances last season.

Inter hunting successors to Dumfries is good news for Chelsea. It reiterates their stance on selling the Dutchman, meaning Chelsea could soon bring him to Stamford Bridge.

After plenty of disappointments in the transfer window, it would be good for Chelsea to get this one over the line.

James has shown he can perform well in a back three. As Chelsea would struggle without his attacking threat, Dumfries arriving can solve this problem.

Having James and Dumfries on the right side of defence would be no drop off in comparison to last term. Tuchel had Andreas Christensen at his disposal then, before the Dane’s switch to Barca.

Meanwhile, TEAMtalk understands new Chelsea attacker Omari Hutchinson will go out on loan to a Championship club for the upcoming campaign.