#4 Stefan De Vrij to Chelsea
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Having failed to sign Kalidou Koulibaly to revitalize their ageing backline, one of the alternatives Chelsea turned to was Lazio’s Stefan De Vrij. There were multiple reports in Italy stating that Chelsea had even agreed personal terms with the Dutch International.
However, Lazio refused to sell their Dutch international due to a lack of time to find a suitable replacement. Chelsea would eventually settle for David Luiz, bringing the Brazilian back to Stamford Bridge for a second spell.
It would’ve been a far wiser move for the Blues to pursue De Vrij earlier in the transfer window than attempting to persuade the obstinate Aurelio De Laurentis to sell Koulibaly. Although he lacks Koulibaly’s athleticism, De Vrij is a complete defender who should go onto become one of the best center backs, in the bastion of defending that is Serie A.
Proof of this is De Vrij's performances in his first two games this season, in spite of suffering a devasting knee that caused him to miss the 15/16 season. The Dutchman has not missed a beat this season, keeping a clean sheet in his first game and effectively nullifying rising Juventus star Paulo Dybala in the second.
Chelsea will certainly rue missing out on De Vrij, whose value will continue to escalate, and he will almost certainly move onto bigger things.
