Chelsea are eyeing Las Palmas goalkeeper Alvaro Valles.
Enzo Maresca wants a ball-playing shot-stopper between the sticks at Stamford Bridge next season as he looks to implement a possession-based style of play and the 26-year-old Spaniard may fit the bill. Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen played a prominent role under Maresca at the King Power Stadium – not only keeping the opposition at bay but also clearing up in behind the Foxes’ backline and building play from the back.
Statistics suggest Valles was the best ‘sweeper keeper’ in Europe’s top-five leagues this season after regaining possession 38 times – no goalkeeper achieved more. But he also boasts great reflexes after preventing the second most goals in La Liga behind another name of interest, Valencia’s Giorgi Mamardashvili
Sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart are big on data and they will work in tandem with the club’s scouts, recruitment staff and Maresca to finalise their list of summer transfer targets. The underlying numbers behind Valles’ remarkable breakthrough season will inevitably be flagged by key data algorithms.
Valles’ contract expires in 2025 and Las Palmas president Miguel Angel Ramirez is ready to sell after rejecting a £17million bid from Nottingham Forest in January.
Arsenal have also scouted Valles as they prepare to part company with Aaron Ramsdale while additionally, Real Betis and Wolves are among his growing list of admirers.
Chelsea are also tracking Villarreal’s 22-year-old goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen while Burnley’s James Trafford could also become an option after impressing under Maresca during their time together at Manchester City.
The arrival of a new goalkeeper would require an exit with Robert Sanchez the favourite to depart following Dorde Petrovic’s impressive finish to his debut Premier League season.
Meanwhile, the Blues are poised to hijack Newcastle’s deal to sign Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo on a free transfer. Tosin, whose current deal at Craven Cottage expires at the end of this month, had been in advanced talks to join the Magpies.
Eddie Howe personally approved the move but Chelsea are on course to make the 26-year-old defender the first signing of the Enzo Maresca era. Joe Shields, Chelsea’s co-director of recruitment, knows Tosin from his time at Manchester City and has proven central to negotiations. Manchester United had also shown interest. Fulham offered the centre-back a bumper new deal but the proposal was declined as Tosin wants to move onto pastures new.
Newcastle have already wrapped up the signing of Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly on a free transfer but they are now expected to miss out on Tosin, even though a deal had looked as good as done.
Chelsea are understood to have gazumped Newcastle’s bid with a more lucrative financial package and Tosin’s arrival could yet have damaging implications for the future of Trevoh Chalobah.
