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

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.

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.