There’s still plenty of doubt surrounding Chelsea’s move for Leicester star Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall according to journalist Nizaar Kinsella.
Chelsea entered the race for the 25-year-old on Thursday, in an attempt to hijack Brighton’s move for the midfielder, which has now subsequently collapsed.
The Blues saw an offer rejected for Dewsbury-Hall and are set to continue negotiations with the Foxes over the weekend in an attempt to get a deal done.
Doubt surrounding Dewsbury-Hall’s move to Chelsea
Dewsbury-Hall shone under new Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca last season as he provided 26 goal contributions which saw him named Championship Player of the Year as the Foxes lifted the Championship title.
Chelsea are now keen to reunite Dewsbury-Hall with Maresca at Stamford Bridge, and it should in theory be a straight forward deal now Brighton are out of the race.
However, Kinsella has reported there’s still doubt surrounding the move as Dewsbury-Hall, despite finding Chelsea attractive has never looked to leave Leicester.
He took to X.com and said:
“More on Dewsbury-Hall to Chelsea. There’s still plenty of doubt in the deal. Chelsea is attractive but he’s never looked to leave Leicester either.
“The decision was taken at recruitment level, no demands from new manager Enzo Maresca to be reunited with an ex-player, although that dynamic could help secure him.”
More on Dewsbury-Hall to Chelsea.
There’s still plenty of doubt in the deal. Chelsea is attractive but he’s never looked to leave Leicester either.
The decision was taken at recruitment level, no demands from new manager Enzo Maresca to be reunited with an ex-player, although… https://t.co/WnW9RZfUtK
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) June 28, 2024
Chelsea’s opening offer was believed to be below Leicester’s valuation, but a swap deal is a possibility with the Foxes believed to hold an interest in youngster Cesare Casadei who spent the first half of last season on loan at the King Power Stadium.
Quite where Dewsbury-Hall fits in at Chelsea were he to complete a move remains to be seen given Chelsea’s plethora of options in the middle of the park.
The only way a move makes some sense would be if Conor Gallagher departs, with the 24-year-old set to take a decision over his future after the Euro 2024.
The Blues have committed more than £300m to midfielders of different profiles over the last two years, so why they feel they need another one raises questions over the recruitment, but one thing Dewsbury-Hall would add is a goalscoring threat from midfield which is lacking to a degree in the current squad.
