Leicester demanding £40m for Danny Drinkwater and Chelsea are so desperate they might just pay it.
Chelsea are in a difficult position already, despite having played only two matches of the new 2017/18 season – a penalties defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield and a humiliating opening day 3-2 home loss to Burnley in the Premier League.
Manager Antonio Conte surprisingly gave 20-year-old Jeremie Boga his Blues debut in the starting XI against the Clarets, a move which some speculated was a message to owner Roman Abramovich that the squad is too weak.
Antonio Conte, manager of Chelsea looks on during the Premier League match against Burnley.
Which is a ridiculous prospect for a club that has already spent £130m on new players this summer and has loaned out 26 more, but some baffling decisions have made the West Londoners desperate.
The sale of Nemanja Matic to Manchester United is one, which Conte was quoted in the Independent at the time as describing as a “great loss”. The Italian would probably have not have been too impressed as Matic gave a dominating performance in midfield for his new team as the Red Devils beat West Ham United 4-0, either.
To a lesser extent Nathaniel Chalobah joining Watford is another, with the 22-year-old tipped to be in Gareth Southgate’s England squad before too long.
Both transfers have lead to the recent rumours linking the reigning English champions with a move for Danny Drinkwater, with the Daily Mail reporting a £25m plus add-ons offer has already been rejected as Leicester City hold out for closer to £40m – the same price Man United signed Matic for.
Drinkwater is understood to be tempted and apparently his homegrown criteria is another plus (although Chalobah also fitted that bill), but the fee is eye-watering for a 27-year-old who although won the title in 2015/16, has still only played 87 Premier League matches and has his most significant experience in the Championship.
Leicester City midfielder Daniel Drinkwater (R) battles for the ball with Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum (L) during the Premier League Asia Trophy match.
That is if Foxes even sell, with the England international having only signed a new five-year contract at the King Power Stadium in August.
Plus this is a mess all of Chelsea’s own doing; a period of self-sabotage that has more than a whiff of the implosion the club showed two seasons ago when also defending the title, which cost Jose Mourinho his job and saw the team finish tenth in the table.
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