Chelsea consider making move for 21-year-old Premier League player - Reports
Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Rayan Ait-Nouri.
Journalist Alan Nixon, on his Patreon page, said (reported via Caught Offside) that the Blues are considering making a play for the young Frenchman.
After spending his younger years with Paris FC and Angers, Ait-Nouri joined Wolves on a loan deal in October 2020. The 21-year-old scored his debut goal within a month of his debut in Wolves' 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.
Consistently good performances from the left-back saw Wolves make his transfer permanent in July 2021. They paid €11.1 million for Ait-Nouri's services and signed him on a five-year contract with the option to extend it by another year.
The young defender played at left wing-back last season, making 27 appearances for Bruno Lage's side. He scored once and created six goals in what was an impressive campaign. Overall, Ait Nouri has made 51 appearances for the club, scoring twice and registering seven assists.
His ability to play at left-back and left wing-back may have caught Chelsea's eye as they need reinforcements in defence this summer.
Should Chelsea sign Alt-Nouri?
The Blues ended the 2021-22 season in third place in the Premier League after making a promising start to the campaign. They lost defenders Ben Chilwell (for the whole season) and Reece James (for large chunks) midway through the campaign.
This largely hampered their play in Thomas Tuchel's 3-4-3 system, which depends heavily on the quality of the wing-backs.
Chelsea managed to get through the season with the likes of Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta, and by rotating a few others in the wing-back positions. However, the situation could get worse this summer as both the aforementioned players have been linked with Barcelona (via 90min).
#CFC 
Marcos Alonso has not changed his plans. He's set to leave Chelsea this summer - he wants to return to Spain and Barcelona are in advanced talks on personal terms, but still waiting for price tag. 🔵🇪🇸 #CFC
Emerson Palmieri won't stay at OL - he's now coming back at Chelsea. https://t.co/TYFXJptJsr
This means the Blues could lose further squad depth and adding new faces will be crucial to surviving another long season. At 21, Alt-Nouri is a young option who can play backup to Chilwell.
It will be a smart addition for Chelsea as he is also unlikely to cost them a fortune. The club will be better served by saving their transfer budget to address other areas of the pitch like the centre-back positions. But Ait-Nouri's arrival will provide them with some quality and a genuine long-term prospect.
Barcelona have offered César Azpilicueta a two year deal with option to extend for a further season. Talks started in December but Barça are still waiting for Azpilicueta to make final decision. 🔵🇪🇸 #FCB
Chelsea hope for Azpi to stay but still no communication on player side. https://t.co/AKThj9n4C6