Chelsea don’t need to be desperate for center back help, but since they are climbing back into Champions League contention in an increasingly competitive Premier League with designs on competing for the actual title by next season, it would make sense to shore up any conceivable weaknesses in the squad.
The onus has been on the striker position for a while, but with Nicolas Jackson actually playing quite well to start the 2024/25 season, there isn’t as much desperation for a new No. 9.
Chelsea can focus on continuing to build a holistic squad with smart signings, rather than breaking the bank on high-risk players as they have previously done.
Although the Blues have one of the best young defenders in England in Levi Colwill and are high on Wesley Fofana, it would behoove them to sign another talented center back, should the right market opportunity present itself this summer or even winter.
According to a report from Caught Offside’s Mark Brus, Chelsea are looking at the squad of Champions League side Benfica, who may be the best club in the world at selling young players for a profit.
Chelsea are reportedly eyeing up young center backs Tomas Araujo and Antonio Silva as potential signings. Although Araujo has played pretty well this season, there’s no question that Silva is the biggest prize on Benfica, even above former Real Madrid academy product Alvaro Fernandez, who has been getting looks from some European heavyweights this season.
Silva was actually on Madrid’s radar during the 2023/24 season after David Alaba suffered an ACL tear, but Real Madrid elected not to sign anyone at the position – a stance they held firm on this past summer.
That gives Chelsea the opportunity to sign Silva, who is only 20 years old and is in the midst of another exceptional season in a league that has produced several world-class center backs, including Madrid’s Eder Militao and Premier League Player of the Season Ruben Dias.
This season, Silva has been Benfica’s best player and is averaging 3.2 combined tackles and interceptions per game with a team-high 71.4 pass attempts per match, completing 91.6 percent of those passes.
Leny Yoro got all the hype last summer, and a lot of fans talk about Goncalo Inacio when eyeing potential center back targets from Portugal, but Silva might actually be the biggest prize at center back as he works on a second straight stunning season in central defense.
With a market value of 40 million euros, Silva’s 100 million euro release clause is more of a bargaining threat from Benfica than anything truly valid, but he is under contract through the 2026/27 season.
Chelsea would likely have to pay around 60 million euros to sign Silva, in line with what Manchester United spent on Yoro. That is a significant investment, but it’s not a back-breaking one like the Blues’ flop transfers; it’s one they can easily afford and eventually benefit considerably from.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He covered Real Madrid from 2019-2022 for The Real Champs as a site manager. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.