Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing Aston Villa left-back Alex Moreno this summer and his potential arrival at Stamford Bridge could see Todd Boehly get rid of £60m flop Marc Cucurella.
Could Chelsea sign Moreno?
According to reports from Foot Mercato earlier this month, both Chelsea and Manchester City are interested in signing the Spanish left-back this summer as a result of his impressive performances in Unai Emery's side.
It may prove difficult for Boehly to prise the 29-year-old away, given that Villa are in a far better position to secure European football next season than the Blues, but the money on offer at Stamford Bridge could also be difficult for him to turn down.
He has only spent just over four months at Villa Park too, having signed in January from Real Betis in January in a deal worth £12m, but has certainly caught the eye of the Premier League's elite, helping the Midlands club shoot up the Premier League table as they eye a top seven finish.
Could Moreno replace Cucurella at Chelsea?
Since signing for Emery's side, the former La Masia man has contributed an impressive three assists in just 17 top-flight appearances, which has helped him earn a solid 6.73 rating from WhoScored for his performances.
He showed similar attacking intent in the first half of the campaign in La Liga, notching three assists in just 15 league outings for Betis, which emphasises his ability going forward.
The difference between a competent director of football, and Chelsea's seemingly clueless chairman, is perhaps clear to see when comparing Moreno and Cucurella, given their respective transfer fees and performances in recent months.
The former Brighton man has earned a 6.65 rating from WhoScored across the Premier League season thus far with Chelsea, while he has also averaged fewer shots (0.3 vs 0.8), key passes (0.5 vs 1.2) and dribbles (0.2 vs 1.4) when compared with Moreno, which suggests that the Villa man would be the far more dangerous defender if Chelsea stick with a wing-back system next season.
Journalist Lewis Steele was full of praise for the Spaniard for his performance in the 3-0 win over Newcastle United recently, as he wrote on Twitter:
"Ollie Watkins will get all the headlines again but left-back Alex Moreno is some talent. Two mins ago assists Watkins but he’s offside; now he’s done it again and it’ll count. A constant danger."
Moreno produced a similarly strong performance in the 2-0 win against Chelsea which proved to be the end of Graham Potter, earning a clean sheet and a 7.3 rating from WhoScored at Stamford Bridge with Ruben Loftus-Cheek, the man the Villa defender was up against, earning a terrible 5.9 rating.
Boehly certainly knows what he's capable of and if Cucurella is to leave after a less-than-impressive first season at Stamford Bridge, then Moreno could prove to be a big upgrade as his replacement.