Chelsea remain the most interested club in signing Inter wingback Denzel Dumfries and could make an approach for him this month.
As reported in today’s newspaper edition of Tuttosport, the Premier League club are in the market for a right-sided defender to cover for the injured Reece James and have made enquiries about Nahuel Molina at Atletico Madrid and Celtic’s Josip Juranovic.
However, Dumfries remains their first choice and they are pushing agent Rafaela Pimenta to facilitate a transfer in the January window, rather than wait for the summer.
Inter, on the other hand, have no desire to lose the Netherlands international mid-season but would consider an operation similar to that which saw Achraf Hakimi join Paris Saint-Germain in 2021.
The Nerazzurri are ready to agree to a sale later in the season with a view to Dumfries moving before the end of June, ensuring that they keep him until the end of the campaign but secure a transfer fee within this year’s accounts, with €60 million required to come into the club by then.
Matters are further complicated by Inter’s negotiations to retain striker Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea on loan next season, and this could play into the Blues’ hands.
Focus is currently on the Supercoppa Italiana against AC Milan on 18 January and no movement is expected before then.
