Operating with a back three, Chelsea ideally would want five if not six centre-backs in their squad to give them ideal cover across all four fronts and the Blues are in the market for another when the summer transfer window opens.
With David Luiz likely to leave the club in the summer after falling out with Antonio Conte, Chelsea could do with another option along with Andreas Christensen to play the middle centre-back role, and Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld is being mentioned as a target.
New contract talks between Spurs and Alderweireld have stalled of late and the Belgian is set to become a free agent in 2019, but Tottenham could trigger an option to extend that by an extra year which would, in turn, activate a release clause which could see him leave for just £25m in the 2019 summer transfer window.
Manchester United have joined Chelsea in the race to sign the 28-year-old in the summer, but now the Premier League duo have been joined by Real Madrid in the pursuit of Alderweireld.
The defender is seeking a deal worth in the region of £150,000-a-week and will consider leaving if Spurs refuse to give in to his demands, and Tottenham themselves will have to consider cashing-in after this season if he refuses to pen new terms with Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid circling.
