Sky Sports: Chelsea “making a move” to sign €50m valued defender who does one thing Maresca will love | OneFootball

Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solhekol has just dropped some very interesting transfer news late on a Friday night.

He says that Chelsea are “seriously considering making a move” to sign Ajax defender Jorrel Hato this summer. The central defender can also play at left back, is a physical specimen, has all that Dutch technique and training you’d want, and plenty of senior experience. Having only just recently turned 19, he’s exactly the sort of player our sporting directors would love to go for.

Chelsea close in on €50m long term target Hato

Kaveh Solhekol’s Tweet about Jorrel Hato.

Hato was originally linked with us way back in January, and a price between €40m and €50m was mentioned. Liverpool and Arsenal are clearly in the race too, but by the sounds of things we’re in the lead here.

Solhekol doesn’t mention a price, but says he’s a player we “admire” and are “watching closely.”

Hato looks a perfect fit for Maresca’s style and his system

A major benefit of Hato compared to other defenders we’re being linked with like Marc Guehi and Dean Huijsen is his ability to play at left back.

That not only allows him the versatility to play left back in a 4 man defence or central defender in a 3 man back line, it also means his skills are well suited to the way Enzo Maresca likes his full backs to play – tucking inside really narrow and acting as an auxiliary central defender if they’re on the defensive side.

We’ve seen Wesley Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah do it regularly this season on the right, and Hato doing it as Marc Cucurella’s alternate on the left would perhaps allow Reece James to be the attacking full back of the pair.

It would certainly open up some interesting tactical options for the gaffer in the future.