Chelsea are reportedly plotting a monumental summer swoop for Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo, who is currently plying his trade out on loan with Bayern Munich...
What's the word on Cancelo to Chelsea?
According to 90min this week, the Blues are indeed interested in signing the Portugal international in the summer, with the dynamic defender also being considered by the Bundesliga champions for a cut-price fee after allegedly holding reservations over paying the optional €70m (£62.3m) fee to make his current deal permanent.
The 28-year-old signed for City from Juventus for £60m in 2019 and has been instrumental in Pep Guardiola's recent success, having won two Premier League titles among other honours, but he left for Bavaria on loan last month after falling out of favour at the Etihad Stadium.
With Real Madrid also reportedly intrigued by the possibility of acquiring the gem, who is contracted to City until 2027, Chelsea will need to move swiftly in order to seal a prospective deal.
Should Potter ditch Cucurella for Cancelo?
Marc Cucurella enjoyed a stellar season with Brighton & Hove Albion in 2021/22 following his £15m transfer from LaLiga outfit Getafe, earning an impressive Sofascore rating of 7.11 for his exploits on the south coast.
After moving to Chelsea in a deal worth in excess of £60m last summer, the 25-year-old has cemented his position on the defensive left flank by making 20 starts in all competitions, with positional peer Ben Chilwell spending large portions of the campaign confined to the medical room.
However, there have been concerns over the Spaniard's performances for the Blues, with his displays in west London not quite emulating the superlative efforts with the Seagulls, having been branded a "defensive liability" by journalist Okon Nya for one lacklustre display against Man City last month and come under fire from pundits and Chelsea supporters.
With Cancelo reportedly available later this year, Chelsea owner Todd Boehly - who has demonstrated a ruthless streak since assuming ownership last year by spending in excess of £550m on new acquisitions already, with Cucurella a sizeable part of that - the on-loan dynamo could soon find himself in royal blue rather than sky blue.
As per FBref, the £250k-per-week star ranks among the top 14% of full-backs in Europe's five main leagues for assists and shot-creating actions per 90, and the top 2% for progressive passes and successful take-ons per game.
This illustrates an attacking flair superior to the majority of full-backs across the continent, and it might explain why, in October 2021, former Man City midfielder Nigel de Jong hailed Cancelo as "one of the best full backs in the world".
For a Chelsea outfit currently boasting just 23 goals in the Premier League all season, ninth in the table and out of both domestic cup competitions, such flair could be the catalyst for change in SW6.
Cancelo's attacking output is far superior to Cucurella's, with the latter only in the 44th percentile of full-backs in Europe's five main leagues for assists per 90, the 77th percentile for progressive passes and the 47th percentile successful take-ons per game.
While Chelsea spent a hefty, perhaps exorbitant, fee on the £175k-per-week Cucurella, who is still struggling to find his feet in west London, the tantalising thought of injecting Cancelo's dynamism into the ranks could be the icing to complete the lucrative cake that Boehly is indeed cooking up at Stamford Bridge.