Chelsea need a central defender in London. Lampard’s candidate is City’s John Stones. The fate of Stones depends on Koulibaly’s transfer to City.
Chelsea is one of the most active in this transfer window. The Londoners have already acquired Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner. The front line of the team is well-staffed, and there is a lot of competition in the attack. We cannot say the same about the defense, which remains the weakest link in Chelsea.
Lampard’s team has conceded 54 goals in 38 games – the worst result in the top ten. For comparison, 54 goals have been conceded by outsider Brighton. Therefore, buying a central defender is a priority for Chelsea.
So, according to the British press, Chelsea is going to buy Manchester City player John Stones. Stones also agree with this transfer, as they have recently lost their place in the main team and do not want to lose their form in case of non-playing and also face problems in the England team.
City would easily agree to this transfer if they managed to buy Kalidou Koulibaly. The transfer of Senegal to City is a priority at this stage. If Koulibaly moves to City, Stone will be easily joined by Guardiola. Everything should be decided soon, depending on how much Napoli and City will be able to negotiate the price of Koulibaly.
The preliminary amount of the transfer is known – Stones will cost 20 million for Chelsea. The Londoners are arranging to buy a defender at this price. So, City will also be able to cover part of the Koulibaly transfer with the money received.