Not Guehi: Chelsea in discussions for "monster" £43m Colwill replacement

Up until yesterday, this summer was shaping up to be pretty much perfect for Chelsea.

Enzo Marsca's side looked brilliant on the pitch, and the board were making excellent additions to the squad off of it.

However, it's now been confirmed that Levi Colwill has suffered an ACL injury and will miss the majority of next season.

The only good news is that there is still time for the club to bring in a replacement, and while they've been linked with Marc Guehi in the past, reports suggest they are looking at someone else entirely.

Chelsea target Guehi alternative

Chelsea have been linked with Guehi for quite some time now, with serious reports touting him for a move back to the club as far back as last summer.

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Those stories have remained fairly constant this summer as well, with some claiming that the Englishman could be available for a fee of around £43m.

However, while the Crystal Palace star could be a smart signing in the current circumstances, it now looks like the Blues are eyeing another international defender to replace Colwill.

At least that's according to a recent report from Spain, which claims Chelsea are interested in Ronald Araujo.

The report has revealed that the Uruguayan defender is someone who has been discussed by the West Londoners and is now seen as 'one of the main options' to come in and strengthen the backline.

Interestingly, despite renewing his contract in January, the story claims that Barcelona would be willing to let the 26-year-old leave this summer for a fee of around €50m, which is about £43m.

While that's still a lot of money, this feels like a transfer worth pursuing for Chelsea, especially as Araujo could be the perfect replacement for Colwill.

Why Araujo would be a great signing

So, there will be some of you out there who might make the point that Chelsea have only just signed Jorrel Hato, and so there is surely no need for another defender to come in and cover for Colwill.

However, while that is a fair point and we have no doubt the Ducthman will develop into a future superstar, he's still just 19 years old and has no experience of playing in a top-five league.

Therefore, instead of placing an immense amount of pressure on the teenager and potentially hampering his long-term development, it makes far more sense to go out and sign a proven defender who has played at the highest level for some time now, someone like Araujo.

Araujo's Barça record Appearances 175 Starts 141 Minutes 12926' Goals 10 Assists 7 Points per Game 2.15 La Liga Titles 2 Copa del Reys 2 Super Cups 2 All Stats via Transfermarkt

For example, the defensive "monster," as dubbed by analyst Raj Chohan, has made 175 appearances for Barcelona, of which 141 have been starts, and he's racked up a pretty good tally of ten goals and seven assists in those games.

Moreover, he's helped the Catalans win two La Liga titles, two Copa del Reys and two Spanish Super Cups, so he would bring a real know-how to Stamford Bridge that's been lacking in recent years.

On top of his impressive experience and record, the Rivera-born titan can also play as both a centre-back and a right-back, meaning he'd give Maresca some extra tactical flexibility.

Finally, the 6 foot 2 ace is more than just a defensive wall, as he's got several seriously impressive attacking underlying numbers to his name.

According to FBref, he sits in the top 1% of centre-backs in Europe's top five leagues for non-penalty goals and goals plus assists, the top 2% for goal-creating actions from shots, the top 4% for non-penalty expected goals and the top 9% for total progressive carrying distance, all per 90.

Ultimately, losing Colwill is a massive blow, but Chelsea can help mitigate that blow by going all out and signing Araujo this summer.

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