Exclusive: Chelsea return to €80m target from last summer with new offer | OneFootball

Chelsea seemed to have things nicely lined up to get this summer started early.

They knew their priority positions – centre back, left wing and striker, and already had targets they were working on.

But in defence Dean Huijsen seems to have slipped through their fingers to head to Real Madrid, and top striker target Liam Delap seems to be heading towards Man U. It’s time to get someone locked down, and there’s no time to waste.

Chelsea return to former target to strengthen defence

Tomas Araujo with a Chelsea logo. (Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)

According to a source who spoke exclusively to us, the loss of Huijsen as a target has meant the revival of interest in another talented defender – Tomas Araujo of Benfica.

He has a monster €80m release clause, and our interest last summer was rebuffed because we didn’t come close enough to it. Our source says we’re considering a bid of €50m-€55m now, which is what we would have paid for Huijsen.

Whether Benfica’s stance has softened remains to be seen. Also in the race are PSG, Liverpool and Real Madrid – although presumably Los Blancos will drop out if and when Huijsen is secured.

There hasn’t been much push from 22 year old Araujo, who has so far been happy in Lisbon. But it seems he may now be ready for the next stage in his career.

Chelsea prepare defender sales to clear space for Araujo or others

Any signing in defence is going to require some sales, but that looks very possible right now. Axel Disasi and Trevoh Chalobah will definitely be sold, and others (including Tosin, Benoit Badiashile and potentially even Wesley Fofana) could join them if the right offer comes in.

Jorrel Hato is also emerging as a major post-Huijsen target for us in recent days.