Chelsea have £43m centre-back bid rejected | OneFootball

Chelsea have had a £43m bid for Alessandro Bastoni turned down by Inter Milan, according to reports in Italy.

Enzo Maresca is keen to bring in another centre-back before September’s deadline, after Levi Colwill sustained an ACL injury. Colwill is expected to miss the majority of the campaign after undergoing knee surgery.

Chelsea were also missing Tosin Adarabioyo and Benoit Badiashile for their season opener against Crystal Palace on Sunday. The West Londoners lined up with 19-year-old Josh Acheampong alongside Trevoh Chalobah in central defence.

Maresca praised Acheampong for his performance but expressed concerns last week about Chelsea’s build-up in the absence of Colwill and Tosin.

“When we build, we build with Levi in the middle. Last year, we played 64 games and we played 64 games with Levi and Tosin [Adarabioyo]. Now Levi is out, the only one who can do that job well is Tosin,” he said at his pre-match press conference ahead of facing Crystal Palace.

Italian outlet Gazzetta Dello Sport have now claimed that Chelsea have seen an ambitious bid for Bastoni turned down.

The Italy international is considered one of Europe’s leading defenders, having been a key part of Inter Milan’s progress to Champions League finals in 2023 and 2025.

The 26-year-old has been named as Serie A’s Best Defender in each of the last two campaigns and has built a reputation for his progressive play in a left-sided role.

However, Chelsea’s offer of €50m (£43m) has reportedly been rejected and Inter have no plans to let the defender leave. Bastoni still has three years to run on his contract at the San Siro.

Read – Maresca not blaming Club World Cup for Chelsea stutter

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