Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing a player that Enzo Maresca is a huge fan of.
It felt like just a matter of time before the Blues were linked in the media with a Leicester City player.
Apparently, Chelsea could look to raid Leicester for a second time this summer after recently taking their manager Enzo Maresca and appointing him the new head coach at Stamford Bridge.
It is claimed that a Foxes star could be a like-for-like replacement for Conor Gallagher in midfield.
The Evening Standard recently claimed that Chelsea will listen to offers this summer for 24-year-old central midfielder Gallagher. Meanwhile, The Daily Mail has said that Tottenham are preparing to make a bid for Gallagher amid rival interest from Aston Villa and Atletico Madrid.
Enzo Maresca wants Chelsea to sign Leicester player
The Sun claims that Chelsea boss Maresca would like to reunite with Leicester midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall at Stamford Bridge next season.
It is explained that the Blues head coach thinks Dewsbury-Hall could fill the gap of Gallagher, who’s edging closer to leaving this summer.
The report says that the 25-year-old Leicester star is top of Maresca’s wish-list to replace Gallagher. He’s convinced that the box-to-box midfielder could make the step up, too.
In addition, Leicester aren’t under pressure to sell Dewsbury-Hall, so it’s likely they would hold out for £40m before selling him.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was sensational last year
Dewsbury-Hall was easily one of the best players in the Championship last season, scoring 12 goals and making 14 assists in the league en route to the title and promotion.
While working under Maresca last year, Dewsbury-Hall played the best football of his career to date as a No 8 central midfielder. Admittedly, this was at the Championship level not the Premier League.
The Leicester star’s running power all over the park, combined with his creativity in the final third, does make him an interesting suggestion to replace Gallagher.
The Chelsea Chronicle would prefer the club keeps England star Gallagher, but Dewsbury-Hall as a replacement isn’t the worse idea. It would be an extra help for Maresca when enforcing his ideas to have more players he’s familiar with. A £40m price tag does seem just a bit too steep, though.
What Enzo Maresca said about Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall last season
Maresca was very complimentary of Leicester talisman Dewsbury-Hall throughout the 2023/24 campaign.
His comments about the Foxes star in the first half of last season are particularly interesting.
When discussing Dewsbury-Hall last November, Maresca told Sky Sports: “He was full of responsibility at first, but since the first international break he has improved a lot. He’s calm, fantastic with the ball, he knows when to attack and what to give the team.
“He is so dangerous near the box, and has the quality to score or assist from anywhere. He could already have had 10 or 12 assists. He is probably the most-improved for us and he’s in the perfect position.”