Chelsea are reportedly preparing a bid of around £31.1m (€35m) for Villareal CF playmaker, Manu Trigueros. The Spaniard is high on the wishlist of Antonio Conte who is also interested in signing Chilean duo, Alexis Sanchez and Arturo Vidal.
Trigueros started his career with the B team of Real Murcia before signing with the Villarreal C team in the summer of 2010. He worked his way up to the senior side and helped them gain promotion to the La Liga in 2012/13 season.
Displaying great creative abilities Trigueros became an instant hit for the Yellow Submarine. He has registered 20 goals and 19 assists in a staggering 237 appearances for the club. Best suited to number 10 role the Andalusian midfield can play in the holding midfield position also.
Trigueros is a threat from long distances and does not shy away from tackles and physical battles either.
His abilities are crucial for a side who compete for a European spot finish on a regular basis. They are currently in the 6th spot of the points table and came away with an impressive 0-1 win against title contenders Valencia before the holiday season.
Although Trigueros is an important part of their squad the transfer fee he will bring is something to consider.
Chelsea are not favoured to defend their title this season after falling 17 points behind league leaders, Manchester City. However, they are still eyeing silverware through the Domestic Cups and are preparing for the matchup against Barcelona in the round of 16 of the Champions League.
Conte has openly voiced his demands to sign more quality players to the side and might just get drawn into the conundrum of losing Eden Hazard to Real Madrid. Trigueros is capable of playing from the wide areas but might just be deployed more centrally behind the sole striker.
Summer signing Tiémoué Bakayoko have not quite displayed the same level of performance he did in the previous season for AS Monaco. Holding onto possession and linking up with the rest of the team are not his best strengths, something which Trigueros is very skilled at.
The addition of the 26-year-old will also help N’Golo Kante focus more on his defensive duties instead of surging ahead in a more box-to-box role.
The lack of strength from the benches have cost the Blues on multiple occasions. Juggling the schedule of the English Premier League along with a European competition is no easy feat and requires every player in the squad to perform to their best.
The real question lies in whether the Spanish outfit are willing to let go of one of their best-attacking threats halfway through the season.
