Porto left-back Alex Telles is still expected to seal a move to the Premier League this summer, with Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United all considering making a bid.
Telles has long been on Chelsea’s radar after it became clear that he had no intention of extending his contract, which is currently set to expire at the end of next season, and Porto are adamant that they will not lose him for free in 2021.
The writing has been on the wall for some time, and Record (via Sport Witness) state that ‘everything indicates’ Telles will be walking away from the Estádio do Dragão before the start of next season.
In terms of likely landing spots, Chelsea are expected to be in the race for his signature as they look for replacements for both Marcos Alonso and Emerson. Their top target is Leicester City’s Ben Chilwell, but given such a deal could cost close to £70m, the Blues are looking for alternatives and have both Telles and Ajax’s Nicolás Tagliafico on their radar.
Tagliafico is expected to be available for around £23m, and now Telles could be worth somewhere close to that as the belief is that Porto have dropped their asking price from £36m to the same £23m to encourage bids.
That lower asking price could also pique the interest of United and City, who are both thought to have been following Telles’ career with a ‘special interest’.
A move to United seems a bit unlikely as they have both Luke Shaw and Brandon Williams to call upon at left-back, but it’s a bit different for City as 90min understands Pep Guardiola is keen to find a replacement for Benjamin Mendy this summer.
Guardiola also wants Chilwell but is just as hesitant to pull the trigger on a £70m deal as Chelsea are, which is why the likes of Telles and Tagliafico cannot be ignored this summer.
A fee of £23m for Telles, who managed 13 goals and 12 assists in all competitions this season, could attract interest from elsewhere, but English sides are thought to have an advantage thanks to agent Pini Zahavi, who now represents Telles and is known for his links to the Premier League.
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