4 Euro 2024 stars Chelsea should sign
- Europe's top stars in action during Euro 2024
- Several top performances should have caught Chelsea's eyes
- Blues still chasing reinforcements in key areas
By Tom Gott
Chelsea's transfer chiefs never need an excuse to get out the scouting notebook, but the Blues will have gleefully accepted the opportunity to cast their eyes over Europe's top stars at Euro 2024.
Tosin Adarabioyo, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Omari Kellyman, Marc Guiu and Renato Veiga have all joined Enzo Maresca's side this summer, but Chelsea still have a handful of problem areas in which they are looking to strengthen before the window closes.
Here are four Euro 2024 stars Chelsea should be considering.
1. Giorgi Mamardashvili
Georgia won the hearts of many this summer, with the performances of goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili key to their unlikely run to the round of 16.
Chelsea are well aware of Mamardashvili already. The 23-year-old Valencia stopper has been towards the top of the goalkeeper shortlist for the past few years before Robert Sanchez and Djordje Petrovic arrived.
Reports suggest Valencia want no more than £35m to part ways with one of the top young goalkeepers on the planet, and that should be a no-brainer for Chelsea as they once again consider a mass overhaul between the posts.
2. Ferdi Kadioglu
Turkey's Ferdi Kadioglu was inverting from left-back before it was cool. The 24-year-old was raised as a midfielder but managed extensive experience in almost every position on the pitch before ultimately settling on left-back.
Maresca wants full-backs who are comfortable in midfield, and there is perhaps no better fit for his system than Kadioglu, whose unique skill set helped Turkey through to the quarter-finals this summer.
There appears to be extensive interest in Kadioglu - Arsenal and Manchester United are both regularly touted as suitors - but this could be a match made in heaven for Maresca.
3. Michel Aebischer
Signing Bologna stars seems to be the in thing these days. Midfielder Michel Aebischer hasn't attracted the same hysteria as Joshua Zirkzee or Riccardo Calafiori, but that could be about to change.
Aebischer, 27, was a constant presence in Bologna's midfield last season but was shifted out to left-back for Switzerland, whose intriguing tactical setup definitely bore some similarities to Maresca's style of play.
Whether he'd actually be interested in a permanent transition to left-back is up for debate, and the fact he's 27 is probably vomit-inducing to most of Chelsea's decision-makers, but this could be a bargain solution.
4. Nico Williams
Unless you spent the last month under a rock, you've probably realised Nico Williams is pretty good at this whole football thing.
That's not news to Chelsea, who have been following the Athletic Club winger for a while now. His release clause of around £50m makes him a potential bargain, although 90min understands his hefty wage demands are a problem for a Chelsea side trying to bid farewell to the days of £300,000-a-week deals.
If Williams proves to be even slightly flexible with his wage demands, Chelsea should be all over this. The 22-year-old is a £100m talent just waiting for the platform to explode into superstardom.