£50m for Ben Chilwell is extreme – but buyers have “secret weapon” that could make deal happen

This last week has seen a pretty clear line of briefing emerge from Chelsea.

All the journalists and insiders have suddenly had the same line to report – both Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella are potentially up for sale, should the club get the right offer.

This is probably part of a long term plan, with the sporting directors likely to have concluded (like most fans) that Cucurella is not a top quality defender and that Chilwell is never going to be reliably fit after so many years of serious injuries. The idea was perhaps brought into sharper focus by the fact that Cucurella is doing so well for Spain at the Euros, and this may be the perfect moment to cash in on him.

Either way, it’s led to a serious of rumours about who might be interested, including whispers that Man U could have a taste for Chilwell.

A transfer that sounds more and more likely

Today, some even more juicy details on that front have started to emerge. TeamTalk have an update on the story which claims that Chelsea would want £50m for him, which seems a stretch. But more interestingly the Red Devils have a “secret weapon” in the form of Mason Mount.

The midfielder joined Man U a year ago, and is a great friend of Chilwell. They think that they can use the 25 year old to persuade his old friend to come and join him. That could mean Chilwell accepting a lower wage than he might otherwise, or even pressuring Chelsea to make the deal happen, lowering the price.

While £50m seems extreme, it’s easy to see Chilwell, Man U and Chelsea all wanting this move, so from our perspective it’s very much one that could happen, if a compromise over transfer fees can be found.