Chelsea are plotting a swoop to sign Club Brugge’s defensive midfielder Ardon Jashari this summer, according to Sacha Tavolieri.
Jashari made the switch to Blauw-Zwart from Swiss outfit FC Lucerne last summer. Though he initially struggled to adapt in Belgium, he soon found his stride and emerged as a key player under Nicky Hayen, racking up 52 appearances and contributing to ten goals.
While Brugge narrowly missed out on the league crown, they did lift the Crocky Cup—the 11th in the club’s history.
His standout displays earned him both the Jupiler Pro League Talent of the Season and Player of the Season honours, and it comes as little surprise that top European sides, including Chelsea, are now vying for his signature.
According to Tavolieri, Chelsea have, ‘in recent days’, launched a swoop for the Switzerland international as they look to lure him to the club this summer.
The report adds that the Club World Cup champions are now preparing an opening offer to send to Brugge to sign the 23-year-old, who is also of keen interest to Bayer Leverkusen as a potential replacement for Granit Xhaka.
Chelsea’s midfield is well covered
However, Italian giants AC Milan have been actively pursuing the midfield ace. The report suggests the Swiss midfielder now appears to have made his preference clear, declaring: ‘My sole, unique, and definitive option is… AC Milan!’
Chelsea currently have an array of midfield options at their disposal, with many yet to even debut for the club.
Last season, Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, Enzo Fernandez, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall were the club’s midfield options, while Andrey Santos linked-up with the Blues in pre-season after an impressive loan at Strasbourg.
The club already signed Portuguese midfielder Dário Essugo from Sporting CP, while Lesley Ugochukwu is still on the club’s books.
Hence, rather than splash the cash on Jashari, who is valued at £27m by Transfermarkt, the funds could be reinvested in other vital areas in the team, as the defensive midfield position is already well covered.
