Chelsea are set to reignite their interest in Ajax star Edson Alvarez after the Blues had a £40million bid rejected in the summer transfer window.
Chelsea signed Denis Zakaria from Juventus on a season-long loan deal with an option to buy next summer but remain interested in the Mexico international. The west London outfit were keen to add midfield reinforcements to Thomas Tuchel's squad following injuries to N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic, with Alvarez being identified as their main target.
Following Tuchel's sacking and Graham Potter's appointment, it was unclear whether the club would look at alternative targets in the January transfer window with midfield options running thin in a busy season. Recent reports have suggested that despite Tuchel's exit, Chelsea remain keen to enter negotiations with the Eredivisie champions for the 24-year-old.
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Alvarez was reported to have skipped training with the Dutch outfit on deadline day in an attempt to force through a move to Stamford Bridge. Former Ajax winger Antony deployed a similar tactic and was able to force through an £86million move to Manchester United, but the Eredivisie side did not grant the same permission for Alvarez.
According to the CBS Journalist Ben Jacobs, via the Express, the Mexico international remains keen on signing for Chelsea with the Blues expected to submit another bid in the January transfer window. It is likely that Todd Boehly will need to pay a higher fee to prise Alvarez away from Ajax mid-season, but the American owner is keen to back his new manager with reinforcements.
Plenty of clubs are keeping tabs on Alvarez's situation at Ajax including Premier League rivals Liverpool who are also short of options in midfield following injuries to the likes of Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita and Curtis Jones. It remains to be seen whether Potter and Kyle Macaulay will change Chelsea's plans to bid for the 24-year-old midfielder in the January transfer window, but with Kante and Jorginho out of contract next summer it could be a smart decision to find a suitable replacement sooner rather than later with other teams monitoring the situation.
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