Chelsea have been told how to complete the signing of Stuttgart left-back Borna Sosa in the upcoming transfer window, with Thomas Tuchel keen to undergo a rebuild this summer. The west Londoners are set to lose out on several defenders in the coming weeks; Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen are set to leave as free agents, while Marcos Alonso has been linked to a departure.
In response to the looming exodus of options at the back, Todd Boehly's consortium, who completed a £4.25billion takeover of the west London club on Monday, are expected to 'push for A-list signings' to mark a new era at Stamford Bridge, according to the MailOnline. With Boehly eager to bolster the Blues' armoury, The Telegraph indicate that after player sales are taken into account, Tuchel is set to have £200million at his disposal to strengthen his side.
And, a chapter in Chelsea's reported summer transfer frenzy appears to be centred around finding an understudy for Ben Chilwell, who missed much of this season due to injury. In February, football.london reported that Sosa, who has reportedly courted the interest of Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United, has been watched by Blues scouts this season to monitor his progress.
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The 24-year-old featured 28 times in the Bundesliga this season, directly contributing to nine goals from left wing-back. His impressive displays were enough to steer Stuttgart to safety; the German side sat third from the bottom and looked set to compete in a relegation play-off, but results went their way on the final day and they dodged the drop.
Tuchel's side locked horns with Inter Milan for Sosa at the end of the January transfer window, according to Sky Sports Germany, though a deal failed to materialise. So, should Chelsea - Arsenal, Spurs and United too - look to acquire the defender's services this summer, his £21.3million release will have to be paid, claim German outlet Bild.
Sosa is ranked as one of Europe's leading left-backs for his chance creation, progressive passing, ball-carrying and shot-creating actions compared to positional peers, as per Fbref. he has become renowned for his crossing ability, leading himself to liken his play style to David Beckham - and Stuttgart's sporting director Sven Mislintat - formerly of Arsenal - agrees.
In an interview with Bild last season, the transfer chief said: "Borna Sosa's said that David Beckham is his role model, and I think he has the same qualities. He puts in crosses from every angle; sometimes chipped, sometimes drilled, sometimes flat, sometimes in behind, sometimes to the front post, other times to the back post - his left foot is a real weapon."
