Chelsea Transfer rumour: Blues eyeing a January move for Stefan de Vrij

De Vrij has been one of the consistent players for Dutch national side

Chelsea are keen to sign a new defender in the January transfer window and Lazio’s Stefan De Vrij is Antonio Conte’s first choice, according to reports from Calciomercato. De Vrij was one of the defenders linked with a move to Chelsea earlier in the summer, however, the deal could not be completed due to the player being outpriced at that moment.

After losing out on several of his top value targets, Conte had to settle with David Luiz’s return to Stamford Bridge, which was reportedly not his call. Instead, Roman Abramovich intervened and completed a quickfire deal to re-sign Luiz on the deadline day.

Conte, however, was content with using the trusted pair of John Terry and Gary Cahill for Chelsea’s game against Swansea which saw the Blues’ skipper injure his right foot. Terry hurt the ligaments on his right foot and had to leave Liberty Park on crutches and has been ruled out for the game against Liverpool this Friday.

Terry joins Kurt Zouma on the injury table as the French defender has been out of action from well before the end of last season after an operation on his knee. Conte understands the precarious situation he is in and wants to add another defender to his squad in January.

Why De Vrij is the ideal option for Chelsea?

According to Calciomercato, De Vrij is valued at £25million which is nothing short of a bargain given his abilities on the ball. He is a strong and powerful defender who loves to dominate the play both in the air and on the ground. 

De Vrij has been one of the consistent players for Dutch national side and is open to the idea of joining Chelsea this season. On the other hand, Lazio are preparing a new contract for the Dutchman to fend off any interest from Chelsea but the player has apparently refused to commit his long-term future to the Serie A club anticipating an offer from the Blues.

With De Vrij’s rumoured arrival, Conte might even go with his tried and trusted 3-5-2 or 3-4-2-1 formation with new summer signing Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpiicueta being the wing-backs alongside the back three of Luiz, Cahill and De Vrij. The dutch centre-back has started the 2016/17 campaign on a bright note making 3 appearances for Lazio and chipping in with one goal.