Chelsea told to hijack Man Utd move for top target and ditch Cambiaso deal in the process | OneFootball

New Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso has been advised to snub a proposed deal to sign Andrea Cambiaso from Juventus and move for former Blues star Lewis Hall instead.

The Stamford Bridge outfit are in the market for a new left-back after selling Spain international Marc Cucurella to La Liga giants Madrid.

The Spain World Cup star expressed a desire to leave Chelsea after a frustrating season in which the Blues finished 10th in the Premier League, missing out on European football as a result.

The 27-year-old had also criticised the club’s handling of Enzo Maresca’s departure and their transfer strategy of signing almost exclusively young players with potential sell-on value.

That’s not the case when it comes to their interest in 26-year-old Italy international Cambiaso to replace Cucurella, with talks already held over a move for the left-back.

And, while former Blues striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink believes Cambiaso would be a positive signing for Alonso,he would prefer to bring Hall back to the club instead.

Hall joined Chelsea’s academy at the age of eight but only made 12 first-team appearances before being sold to Newcastle in 2023 for £35million.

The defender has since emerged as one of the best left-backs in the Premier League and many observers felt he should have been in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for the World Cup.

Chelsea urged to re-sign Lewis Hall

After an impressive 2025/26 campaign, Hall is being heavily linked with a move to Manchester United, but Hasselbaink is hoping for a Chelsea return instead.

“Those are the exact kinds of transfers I like – players coming from big clubs where the shirt is really heavy and where they already understand the pressure to win,” Hasselbaink said of Chelsea’s pursuit of Juve star Cambiaso.

“Bringing that kind of mentality into the squad can only help the other players who are already there. So I like those kinds of links.”

However, when asked if he would prefer his old club to move for Hall, who is valued at around £60m, instead, Hasselbaink told 10bet: “Yeah, I would.

“Look, I think with Marc Cucurella leaving, they will need to bring somebody in, but they also have Jorrel Hato who can play left-back and finished the season really strongly and really well.

“But Lewis Hall has been unlucky not to be part of this England World Cup squad – he’s done really well at Newcastle.

“He used to be at Chelsea, though, so I don’t know how the club would feel about buying their own player back – most of the time, that’s a bit of an issue psychologically.

“I think they can go two ways: they can keep Hato as the first-choice left-back and get a younger lad in as backup, or they look at Hall.

“But if Lewis Hall comes, he’s going to want to come to play, isn’t he? Because he’s playing regularly at Newcastle. So then it becomes a real battle.

“But I do like Lewis; I think he’s done exceptionally well. He’s really worked on himself, improved, and he’s a very good player.”