Chelsea have been unable to convince Brighton and Hove Albion to part ways with Moises Caicedo so far this summer, and now a fresh update has emerged on a potential alternative that could be acquired instead.
What's the latest on Chelsea's interest in Edson Alvarez?
According to The Times (as relayed by Daily Mail), the Blues are interested in signing Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez this summer.
As per the report, the west Londoners have put together a strong shortlist of midfield targets with Alvarez named as one of the players who could be signed instead of Caicedo this summer – Leeds United's Tyler Adams and Celta Vigo star Gabri Veiga are also potential options too.
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It is claimed that Mauricio Pochettino is keen to bolster the midfield options available to him ahead of next season, following a number of departures last month.
How good is Edson Alvarez?
Chelsea are in unfamiliar territory with Caicedo, as they are used to sealing deals for their top targets with ease but as the upcoming Premier League season looms, they need to prioritise deals that are more realistic and obtainable before they kick off against Liverpool next weekend.
According to ESPN, Brighton rejected a £80m bid from the Blues for their Ecuadorian midfielder last week, with the Seagulls keen to hold out on their £100m valuation.
As a result, the signing of Alvarez would be a great opportunity to bring in an experienced and quality midfielder who can add great depth in the centre of the pitch and would even be a huge upgrade on former loanee Denis Zakaria.
The 25-year-old is one of the hottest midfield prospects in Europe, ranking the top 1% of his positional peers across the Men's Next Eight Competitions for aerial duels won and clearances, as well as ranking in the top 10% for touches, progressive carries, progressive passes, pass completion and shots in total per 90 minutes played, as per FBref.
Not only that, Alvarez – who has a reported £40m price tag – ranked in the top five for touches, pass completion, progressive carrying distance and dribblers tackled out of every player in the Eredivisie during the 2022/23 campaign, proving that he is an incredibly talented midfielder who could be a highly valuable asset to Chelsea next season.
When comparing the Mexican midfielder's output with Zakaria's last season, Alvarez comfortably outperformed his positional peer in a number of key attributes including pass completion (88.7% v 87.6%), shot-creating actions per 90 (2.02 v 0.51), percentage of dribblers tackled (61.1% v 40%) and aerial duels won (57.1% v 0%).
The Ajax machine has been the recipient of high praise over his career so far, with talent scout Jacek Kulig outlining Alvarez's strengths, claiming he is "fast, tenacious & charismatic", and a "superb tackler" with "great ball playing ability".
With that being said, if Chelsea could secure a deal for Alvarez this summer it could significantly improve the performances in midfield next season and would provide Pochettino with a player who can offer both high-quality defensive strengths and consistency.