Chelsea quoted €25m for Chilwell alternative eyeing up Arsenal move

Chelsea will have to pay €25m if they wish to make Nicolas Tagliafico their new first-choice left-back, according to reports.

The Blues are currently facing a dilemma over who will occupy the left side of their defence next season, with both Emerson Palmieri and Marcos Alonso being linked with moves away.

Leicester City and England regular Ben Chilwell is understood to be the main target for the Stamford Bridge side, but the Foxes have a high valuation of the full-back and that may force Chelsea to look for cheaper targets.

One such player could be Tagliafico, who has impressed for Ajax in recent seasons and has established himself at international level with Argentina, with whom he played at the 2018 World Cup.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Tagliafico is a target for Chelsea, but they face competition from their London rivals Arsenal as well as La Liga outfit Atletico Madrid.

However, they have been informed that the asking price for the left-back is cheaper than what Leicester are holding out for for Chilwell – with only €25m required to prise Tagliafico away from Ajax.

The 27-year-old confirmed when signing a new contract with Ajax last year that he would be ready for a new challenge at the end of the current season, and recently, The Sun claimed that he was open to a move to the Premier League in the wake of interest from Arsenal.

Left-back has been a problematic area for the Gunners as well, with Kieran Tierney struggling with injuries since his move from Celtic, forcing Bukayo Saka to play in a deeper role than the one he developed in.

Arsenal are said to believe that signing Tagliafico could allow them to unleash Saka further forward – if indeed he stays, amid interest from the likes of Liverpool – although the latest update would seem to suggest that it would not be as straightforward for them to acquire the Argentine, given the competition.