£70m+ price tag could ruin Chelsea’s interest in versatile Christopher Nkunku replacement | OneFootball

This morning we’ve heard whispers that Chelsea are interested in Brighton attacker Georginio Rutter. This isn’t the first time his name has been mentioned – there were some vague reports about interest back in January.

German insider Florian Plettenberg has today claimed that the Blues are keen on the Brighton attacker and are preparing to ramp up their interest ahead of the summer as they look to upgrade on this season’s options.

We already knew a new striker is a major target this summer, and that a left winger is something those in charge would be interested in too. So where does Rutter fit into that?

Winger not a natural fit for Chelsea’s needs

Georginio Rutter in action for Brighton. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

WhoScored have him as having featured all over the park this season. 8 times he’s played as a number 10, 5 times as a striker, 6 times on the right wing.

So while we’re sure he could do a job on the left, he’s not exactly the perfect squad building fit we’re looking for. Pedro Neto could be used more regularly on the left to accommodate him, or perhaps this is all awaiting the sale of Noni Madueke.

Christopher Nkunku looks likely to depart too, and having someone capable of filling in up front as well as in a variety of positions in attack.

Other than the lack of natural left sided ability, he seems a great fit. He’s 22, has Premier League experience, got 12 goal contributions this season and could yet get better. The big question mark is over his price. He’s locked in on a long contract with the Seagulls, and we all know they drive a hard bargain. Plettenberg doesn’t mention a potential cost, but one would have to imagine it’s going to be £70m or more in this market.