Chelsea plan formal talks to sign new left-back

Chelsea are reportedly planning formal negotiations with Leicester City in order to land the signature of Ben Chilwell in the next transfer window.

The England international has been linked with the Blues since the beginning of the current season and it appears that the club could make a formal bid to sign him in the coming weeks.

According to Standard Sport, Blues boss Frank Lampard is keen on adding a top-class left-back into the squad with concerns over the inconsistent displays of Marcos Alonso and Emerson.

Alonso was able to catch the eye with a couple of standout performances before the coronavirus shutdown but the Spaniard has looked defensively vulnerable when playing in a traditional back four.

The Foxes are said to demand at least £60m for Chilwell but the Blues are hoping to negotiate an initial fee of around £45m with the remaining likely to be settled in the form of add-ons.

Chelsea have been tipped to sanction the sale of Emerson this summer. The Italy international has been linked with a return to the Serie A with Inter Milan and Juventus interested.