Chelsea ‘Interested’ in Former Enzo Maresca Favourite | OneFootball

Chelsea are said to be “interested” in signing Leicester City centre-back Ben Nelson, a new report has claimed.

Enzo Maresca has had plenty of defensive headaches to manage this season. After chronic injuries to the likes of Wesley Fofana and Benoît Badiashile, Chelsea re-called Trevoh Chalobah from his loan spell with Crystal Palace in January, six months ahead of schedule.

The Blues were thought to be one of the clubs hotly interested in Bournemouth centre-back Dean Huijsen before he committed his future to Real Madrid earlier this week.

In search of a new target, Chelsea are mulling over a move for Leicester’s highly rated young defender Nelson, according to The Telegraph. Although, the Blues are not the only Premier League club thought to be vying for the 21-year-old’s signature.

Maresca is well aware of Nelson’s abundant qualities. It was the Italian tactician who handed the Northampton-born centre-back his first senior appearance for the Foxes while in charge in the Midlands last season. Maresca hailed Nelson as an “ideal” defender who had the capacity to become a “big-club player”.

For all his prodigious talent, Leicester opted to loan Nelson out to Championship side Oxford United rather than keep him for their Premier League campaign this season. The towering defender quickly established himself as a regular starter before he was struck down with a thigh injury which required surgery in November.

The west London outfit have also been linked with a move for Sporting CP centre-back Ousmane Diomande. At 21, the Ivory Coast international is the same age as Nelson but boasts far more experience in senior football.

Diomande has been a regular in Sporting’s back three as they have claimed the last two Portuguese top-flight titles and featured in the Ivorian squad which won the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations. The commanding right-footer has made as many appearances in the Champions League as Nelson can boast for Leicester's senior side across all competitions (nine).