Sources say Chelsea lining up two very expensive elite young defender options | OneFootball

When Trevoh Chalobah turned his ankle in the friendly against AC Milan on Sunday and had to be taken off, things were feeling suddenly a little sketchy.

Levi Colwill was lost for the season after undoing ACL surgery at the start of the week, and Chalobah was the next man up. Losing him would have been a disaster on the eve of the new season.

Just when you think you’ve got your squad sorted, you lose a couple of players in one position in quick succession and suddenly you feel vulnerable.

That’s also a major problem with having Wesley Fofana as one of your top options. You can’t ever rely on him to be fit, no can you really account for him playing a major role this season given his recent record.

Chelsea could dip into the market despite insistence they’re going to promote from within

Given all that, it’s no surprise to see the Blues continuing to be linked with transfer moves for new defenders.

They’ve been so active in the transfer market in the last few years that it’s quite hard to imagine them now deciding they will try to solve things internally rather than by just spending more. But who are the targets they could be reaching for?

CaughtOffside yesterday names two players apparently on the list.

Two elite defenders in their 20s on Chelsea’s list

First up is Piero Hincapie of Bayer Leverkusen – who we saw in action against us on Friday night. He’s 23 and super talented. He looks like a great fit for our project, and the only reason to hold back is that he might be very expensive.

The sources say no formal contact has been made between Chelsea and Leverkusen – but he’s certainly on the shortlist should we decide to break the emergency glass and bring someone in.

The other option named here is Antonio Silva. He’s 21 and looks like one of the real defensive rising stars on the continent right now. Again, the only reason to not sign him is potentially his cost.