According to a recent report by British news outlet the Mirror, Chelsea are said to have their minds set on the man they want to bring in to replace Real Madrid-bound Eden Hazard.
The Blues are said to be targeting boyhood Chelsea fan Nicolas Pepe from Lille as they look towards a future without Eden Hazard to leave them from the front.
It is suggested that the winger would cost the Blues around £70m to bring to Stamford Bridge but with the Belgian’s move to Real Madrid being touted to be a big-money switch, Chelsea shouldn’t have too much trouble in reinvesting their finances in another player.
Chelsea signed Eden Hazard from the same team that Nicolas Pepe currently plays for – LOSC Lille. The deal cost the Blues a bargain £32m all the way back in 2012 – a price that would be a complete joke for a player as talented as the Belgian is in today’s footballing market.
Since making the huge step from the Ligue 1 up to the Premier League, Hazard’s improvement as a player has been meteoric. His pace and dribbling skills are unmatched and he has certainly developed into one of Europe’s highest-rated players.
His influence on this Chelsea side can’t even be quantified as without his unbelievable exploits on a weekly basis, Chelsea wouldn’t be anywhere close to the top of the table, let alone actually fighting for the title in itself. He took no time settling with the football in England and was an instant hit at Stamford Bridge.
Considering that the magnitude of his sheer quality was unknown at the time, the improvement he showed since making the switch is bound to fill Chelsea fans with tons of confidence that if they do go on to sign Nicolas Pepe in the summer, the Ivorian will produce the goods in the royal blue kit.
While the Lille link is obviously going to play a fairly important part if this transfer is to go through, Chelsea’s desperation to make as many signings as possible will also come into the picture. With a potential transfer ban looming and Eden Hazard’s departure looking more and more likely everyday, its about time Chelsea look for direct replacements.
Nicolas Pepe has all the right attributes to come in and do a job for the Blues as his pace and dribbling abilities will suit Maurizio Sarri’s style of play. Young and still able to put in amazing amounts of work, he seems like the kind of player who would prosper in a setup as attacking as Chelsea’s.
His movement down the flanks are bound to cause the Premier League wing-backs troubles as his blistering pace is often too much to handle. His finishing has also turned into one of his strengths as he has proven to the fans through the course of the current Ligue 1 season.
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The 23-year-old has scored a whopping 19 goals and notched up a further 13 assists from his 32 league appearances. These numbers are the sign of a top quality player who is now ready to perform at the highest level and that’s why he can be Chelsea’s best option to replace Eden Hazard with.