Chelsea aiming to sign Real Madrid defender Danilo
By Rayna Sidhu
As the Blues look to expand their squad, Antonio Conte’s next target seems to be Danilo, a talented defender who is looking to leave Real Madrid.
The Brazilian has been heavily linked with Chelsea all summer. Chelsea’s transfer dealings have been sparse so far and he would be a welcome addition to the squad. The West London club have already strengthened their defence with Antonio Rudiger and Tiemoue Bakayoko – Danilo would be another smart selection.
Favoured as a right-back, Danilo can in fact play on both the right and left, which would be useful as Conte’s tactics focus on utilising the wings. Both Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses performed consistently well last season but it is always healthy to have some competition for places. Danilo would provide that whilst also ensuring depth for European football.
He is keen on a move away from Real Madrid as he wants to break into the Brazilian national team for the World Cup 2018. He made only 17 appearances in La Liga last season and was not given the chance to fully develop. At 26 years old, it is natural that his motivation to leave is more game time – something he would likely see at Chelsea.
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The reason for the delay in sealing the deal comes from Chelsea’s unwillingness to pay the full asking price of £30.8 million. The highest they are currently willing to go is £28 million. It is quite a small detail for the worth of the player in question.
But Chelsea are also having the same issue with another Real Madrid player, Alvaro Morata. The Blues need a striker, but are hoping to pay below the asking price of £70 million. The problem is, time is ticking on, and the longer the club waits, the more competition they are welcoming.
Manchester City are now supposedly making enquiries about Danilo too. Chelsea know they need the depth and talent that the player will bring and need to finalise the details as soon as possible.
He would be a great asset to Conte’s team and would benefit from pre-season with his new teammates. Once a bid becomes a competition against another club, power is lost. Chelsea are at risk of that happening, just as it did with Romelu Lukaku and Manchester United.
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Danilo deserves to play more and a move to the Premier League could be a great choice for him. Whilst Chelsea still lead in negotiations, other clubs have not lost interest. The champions of England need to try and make a deal fast, for their sake and the player’s.