Chelsea have now placed Bayer Leverkusen right-back Jeremie Frimpong on their transfer shortlist, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.
The Lowdown: Reece James' injury issues
Graham Potter has been tasked with finding a replacement for Reece James in his first transfer window as Chelsea boss, with the right-back being ruled out for up to a month after he sustained an injury in his comeback match against AFC Bournemouth.
The 23-year-old missed out on representing England at the World Cup due to a knee injury which had kept him out of action since he played against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the beginning of October, and so the Blues are now targeting a right-back.
The Latest: Frimpong shortlisted
In an interview with GIVEMESPORT, Jones claimed that Chelsea have identified a multitude of different transfer options, spanning several leagues, but Frimpong is the one that he has heard the most about:
“There are loads of options that I’m hearing about, literally from five different leagues across Europe that they have options in.
“The one I’ve probably heard the most about is Jeremie Frimpong. So, I think that’s probably one on the shortlist, but we’ll find out in a few days. We’ll get a better idea of who they’re zoning in on.”
The Verdict: Get it done?
Neil Lennon hailed the 22-year-old as being 'outstanding' when he worked with him at Celtic, and he has since gone from strength to strength with Bayer Leverkusen, establishing himself as a key player for the German side.
This season, the Dutchman has weighed in with eight goal contributions in 21 appearances, a fantastic return for a full-back, even managing to score five Bundesliga goals, the second-highest amount totalled by any Leverkusen player.
The former Celtic man would not be a like-for-like replacement for James, who is more astute in his defensive duties, averaging 2.32 tackles per 90 over the past year compared to 1.68 from Frimpong, and that is a bonus for Potter, as he would have a new option who is better suited to games against different opponents.