Chelsea in talks for French star who is an IDEAL Caicedo alternative
Tom Weber
- 29 Jul 2023 12:50 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea are in negotiations with Stade Rennais over the potential transfer of Lesley Ugochukwu, according to French media.
The Blues have been locked in tense talks with Brighton for weeks, but the Seagulls have thus far refused to budge on their valuation of Moises Caicedo. Chelsea have made the midfield star their number-one priority transfer target, but a deal will be tough to strike.
Brighton are asking for as much as €100 million and it's not hard to see why they are holding out for that much: Not only did Declan Rice move to Arsenal for well in excess of that sum - and Brighton rate their Ecuadorian just as highly - but Chelsea have previously shown themselves ready to pay sizeable fees for players even when they had no Premier League experience to speak of.
READ: Five CHEAPER alternatives to Caicedo for Chelsea
In light of this, Chelsea are exploring potential alternatives that could do the same job as Caicedo but won't cost a fortune to acquire. FootballTransfers recently compiled a list of five cheaper alternatives to the Ecuadorian and it appears that the Blues heeded our advice.
Talks with Ugochukwu
One of the players on that list was Lesley Ugochukwu. The 19-year-old Rennes midfielder is an intriguing prospect who has attracted plenty of Premier League interest despite finding regular game time hard to come by last season.
Now, L'Equipe claims that Chelsea are in negotiations to sign the youngster and he would certainly be a bargain compared to Caicedo: Ugochukwu has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of just €11.9m.
READ: Chelsea star reveals teammate with 'endless potential'
While the Ecuadorian would definitely slot straight into the Chelsea team, the same can't be said of the young Frenchman, but the ball-winning midfielder could certainly be an intriguing option for the future and he would add to the Blues' contingent of exciting young talents that can play in the centre of the park.
