Chelsea join the race to sign Monaco’s Lamine Camara | OneFootball

Chelsea have made a strong push to sign AS Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara, according to Foot Mercato.

The Blues need midfield reinforcement following the departure of Andrey Santos and are considering bringing the Senegal international to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have a bloated squad with many unreliable options in the centre of the pack.

Romeo Lavia has struggled to stay fit, Dario Essugo might not be ready to start for a club of this stature, while new signing Jordan Henderson is in the twilight of his career.

Chelsea could use another reliable partner to Moises Caicedo and have made enquiries. Per the report, the West Londoners really appreciate Camara’s profile.

The 22-year-old did not enjoy a memorable World Cup campaign but had a terrific domestic season in Ligue 1 in which he bagged three goals and created eight big chances.

Remarkable at set-pieces, he excels as a deep-lying playmaker or box-to-box midfielder and will be far cheaper than expensive options like Alex Scott.

His current boss and former Chelsea defender Filipe Luis lauded him as “one of the best midfielders in the world,”

His form has caught the attention of several other clubs like Liverpool, Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion, Manchester United, Crystal Palace, and Nottingham Forest.

It remains unclear where he will end up next season, but Chelsea have now thrown their hat into the ring for his signature.

Get Camara in, but Chelsea cannot afford to sell Enzo Fernandez

Camara would be a brilliant pick-up for Chelsea, but it should by no means goad them into selling Enzo Fernandez, who has interest from Manchester City.

The Argentine remains one of the best in the business, and he is light years ahead of Camara in terms of development.

The Blues need to insist on keeping Fernandez and giving him the raise that he deserves following two outstanding campaigns.

Also, it is a poor look on them if they sell to a Premier League rival that already snapped up their head coach, who left them stranded in the middle of the season.