Chelsea aren’t desperate for center back help right now, but there’s a prevailing belief that it would be wise for them to snag a high-upside target at the position if an affordable option were to arise.
As much as there is optimism relayed through certain sections of the media about Benoit Badiashile recovering his form in a Chelsea uniform, there’s a sense that the Blues will be actively shopping him in the January and June transfer markets.
Aside from Levi Colwill, none of the starting center backs at Stamford Bridge should feel like their futures are secure. Wesley Fofana and Axel Disasi, for example, are good players, but neither have proven that they are sure-fire starters and building blocks for the Blues – even as much as Enzo Maresca seems to like Fofana.
Last summer, Chelsea signed Tosin Adarabioyo for free, but he, like Disasi, hasn’t shown that he can hang with the best teams in the Premier League. So the Blues could be looking for a new third center back behind the starting pairing of Colwill and Fofana.
According to Fabrizio Romano on his YouTube channel, the surging London giants are doing just that, as Chelsea are busy scouting center back options they could sign next summer or even this winter.
It’s possible for center back to be the Blues’ second biggest priority after signing a true No. 9 with box presence, and Fab reports that Chelsea are in love with Benfica’s Tomas Araujo.
By the way, Fab had previously linked Araujo with a move to Chelsea this past summer, but the 22-year-old ultimately decided to stay with Benfica for one more season.
Benfica boast one of the world’s best center back pairings between Araujo and Antonio Silva, both of whom should be on the radar of Chelsea and any other elite club with an interest in a young central defender.
Araujo has been excellent this season in Liga NOS with 2.3 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game while completing about 88 percent of his roughly 61 pass attempts per match.
Between Silva and Araujo, the former is actually the more touted prospect, but if Chelsea are sold on Araujo and he is reasonably priced, there’s nothing wrong with replacing Badiashile with the 22-year-old.
