Chelsea have ace up their sleeve in race to sign their own Gareth Bale – Football News

Chelsea have ace up their sleeve in race to sign their own Gareth Bale

Patrick Dorgu has impressed in Serie A for Lecce (Image: Getty)

Chelsea could have an ace up their sleeve in the race to secure the signature of Lecce star Patrick Dorgu.

The Blues splashed the cash over the summer but did not manage to tick off all of their objectives for the window, failing to sign a marquee No. 9 who can lead the line for the club in both the short and long term.

They also pushed to sign Dorgu from Lecce, initially planning for him to join sister club Strasbourg before a move to Stamford Bridge further down the line. However, talks never progressed due to Lecce’s asking price of at least £30million.

Chelsea could live to regret failing to get the deal over the line though, with Dorgu demonstrating already this season that he is capable of competing at the very top level by scoring on his international debut for Denmark.

Manchester United and Tottenham have been heavily linked with the left-back as a result, and the 19-year-old has a host of suitors elsewhere in Europe who are expected to try and secure his services in January or next summer.

Although the race to sign Dorgu remains wide-open, Chelsea may hold the key to unlocking negotiations with Lecce in the shape of Cesare Casadei. The midfielder has struggled since joining the Blues and was expected to depart over the summer.

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Cesare Casadei

Cesare Casadei has been heavily linked with a return to Italy (Image: Getty)

A return to the Serie A was firmly on the cards for the ex-Leicester City loanee but ultimately he has remained as part of Enzo Maresca’s first team despite there already being a talented crop of midfielders at the club.

Casadei is therefore unlikely to feature for the Blues in the future, and he could prove to be the ideal makeweight if Chelsea look to open talks with Lecce.

Gareth Bale

Dorgu has been compared to ex-Spurs star Gareth Bale (Image: Getty)

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Dorgu is an incredibly highly-rated prospect, and there have been conversations about how he could transition from being a left-back into a winger in the future, similar to how Gareth Bale progressed during his time at Tottenham.

Lecce head coach Luca Gotti explained: “He seems to have great adaptability. He enjoys playing on the pitch. Important people from the football world are starting to call me to ask me what I see. (Bale) becomes a forward. He could have played as a full-back. This could happen with Dorgu.”

Chelsea are not short of attacking talent as it stands, though they already appear to be in need of a left-back after Ben Chilwell was frozen out of the squad towards the latter stages of the summer transfer window.

Source: https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1945899/Chelsea-transfer-news-Patrick-Dorgu-Cesare-Casadei-Gareth-Bale