Chelsea have made their first move in the race to sign Villarreal goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Blues have submitted a bid in the region of €20 million for the 22-year-old.
Jorgensen emerged as a pivotal player for Villarreal last season, impressing with his shot-stopping ability.
The Danish youth international kept six clean sheets in 36 La Liga appearances, recording -1.02 goals prevented.
While €20 million might seem like a starting point, it will likely not be enough to convince Villarreal to part ways with Jorgensen.
The Spanish club is known for driving hard bargains in the transfer market and reportedly wants more.
Chelsea desperately need goalkeeping reinforcements, with Robert Sanchez and Djordje Petrovic failing to deliver the goods.
The West Londoners spent around £35 million on the pair, but after one season, they are ready to shell out more funds to sign a new goalkeeper.
Sanchez was constantly shaky on the ball, and his shot-stopping failed to impress. Petrovic took the reins after the Spaniard suffered an injury but leaked goals.
The Blues know they need a top-notch option between the sticks and have swooped for the Villarreal man, although fans are worried he will not move the needle.
Upon scrutinising Jorgensen, he fails to stand out. His team concedes several shots, and he makes many saves, nothing noteworthy. His distribution is not particularly appealing, and neither is his command of his box.
Rather than go for established options in the market, Chelsea have adopted a youth-centric policy. They have only young players on their radar, and the Blues prefer taking the punt on these inexperienced stars.
This policy has cost Chelsea, with the West Londoners failing to mount a serious Premier League title challenge despite spending over £1.2 billion on new signings since the arrival of the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital consortium.
