Romano gives transfer update Chelsea fans will love

Robin Bairner

• 21 Jul 2023 19:19 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea have received a positive piece of transfer news away from Stamford Bridge, with Fabrizio Romano announcing the news that Brighton are closing in on a major target.

The Seagulls are close to securing a deal for Fiorentina star Igor, with Romano giving his “here we go” catchphrase to the transfer.

Igor is poised to sign a four-year deal with Brighton, who will pay his Serie A employers €17 million before bonuses to add the 25-year-old to their ranks.

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This is such good news for Chelsea as he is a like-for-like alternative to Levi Colwill, who had been closely linked with the south coast club after impressing for them last season.

Colwill even appeared determined to remain at Brighton, fearing that he will not get the playing time at Chelsea he needs for his personal development.

The 20-year-old has come through the academy ranks for the Stamford Bridge side but has been loaned to Huddersfield and Brighton in consecutive seasons, impressing during both spells away from Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

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Colwill needs Chelsea liftoff

Colwill, though, has yet to make his competitive debut for Chelsea, leading to fears from the youngster that his progress could be stunted.

The Brighton door appears to have closed for him with Igor’s transfer, though. Like Colwill, the Brazilian is a left-sided central defender, with the pair very close together in terms of their style.

While this may represent a personal disappointment for Colwill, it represents a victory for Chelsea, who are determined to hold onto a player they see as a star for the future.

This is reflected in data analytics experts SciSports’ assessment of the player, with FootballTransfers’ partners predicting that he could become the best player at the club.

Chelsea may have survived this scare over Colwill, but if Pochettino does not use him effectively, there will be more transfer speculation to follow.