Chelsea are leading the race to sign Ajax defender Davinson Sanchez. The Columbian defender moved to the Dutch club only in summer for a fee of £4m. Despite a very successful campaign, Antonio Conte has been looking to bring a central defender to the Stamford Bridge. The departure of John Terry will void a place and Conte is very keen to fill the place with the 20-year-old defender.
Ajax has played brilliantly this season but missed the Eredivisie title by a whisker. The Dutch club will take on Manchester United in the Europa League final and Conte will have another chance to watch the player in action as he is expected to be in the starting lineup.
The Premier League champions approached Paris Saint-Germain for Brazilian defender Marquinhos but Manchester United seemed to have won the race as the English outfit reportedly has agreed to pay a sum of £60m for the 23-year-old defender. So Conte has been forced shift his focus towards Sanchez.
The Columbian international has shown immense maturity in his game. He might not be a veteran in terms of playing time, but his presence in the Ajax backline has given the Dutch team an assurance and solidity. Chelsea has been in the market for quite a while as Conte wants to sign at least a couple of defenders to prepare themselves for the Champions League campaign next season. Splashing money won’t be a problem for Conte as their billionaire owner Roman Abramovich has already sanctioned a hefty transfer kitty.
Sanchez’ contract is due to expire in 2021 and he reportedly is also on Spanish giants Barcelona’s radar. The Catalans have often been caught off guard with their defence which has been exposed a number of times this season. Apart from Samuel Umtiti and Gerard Pique they don’t have that quality in the defence and might raid the Dutch club for this player.
Succeeding Terry won’t be that easy as the English defender has had a strong presence throughout his entire career. Sanchez has that charisma in his playing style and could be near to John Terry in future.
The defender also has the ability to chip in with useful goals as he found the target six times this season. The defender might need a little bit of time to acclimatise himself to the Premier League and Conte is ready to give the defender a rousing welcome at the Stamford Bridge.
