Chelsea will ramp up their interest in signing a new left back once Timo Werner's £53million move from RB Leipzig is completed, possibly early next week, with head coach Frank Lampard and director Marina Granovskaia seeking to get further ahead of their Premier League rivals by completing the bulk of their business before the transfer window even opens.
The Leicester City and England international Ben Chilwell is Lampard's first-choice defensive target but the club continue to monitor Ajax's Nicolas Tagliafico and Porto's Alex Telles should a deal not be agreed with the Foxes.
Chilwell would cost about £50million and is keen on a move to Stamford Bridge but Leicester, who are almost guaranteed Champions League football next season, will not be pressured to sell unless the offer meets their expectations.
The Werner deal has been verbally agreed with one source suggesting that it is merely the crossing of Is and dotting of Ts remaining before it is completed.
Chelsea moved fast this week to progress negotiations after it became clear that Werner's first choice, Liverpool, would not be willing to meet the release clause.
Football.london has been told that a deal for Chilwell could also be verbally agreed before the window opens, which will be delayed from July 1 until the end of the campaign, and that would represent a remarkable return following the confirmation that the attacking midfielder Hakim Ziyech will also be joining from Ajax.
However, should an agreement be struck it is likely to mark the end of Chelsea's main business ahead of next season with the prospect of Jadon Sancho or Kai Havertz arriving now remote off the back of Werner's deal.
The club could still sell one or two first-team players but the priority in terms of departures is offloading midfielders Tiemoue Bakayoko and Danny Drinkwater, who have been on loan and are not part of Lampard's plans going forward.
