Chelsea set to battle Crystal Palace for €35 million-rated Brazilian defender: Reports

Chelsea are reportedly set to battle Crystal Palace for AS Roma's Roger Ibanez.

According to Italian outlet Siamo La Roma (h/t TeamTalk), Ibanez is keen on making a move to the Premier League but has also garnered interest from Germany. Roma value him at €35 million.

I Giallorossi made Ibanez's initial season-long loan deal from Atalanta permanent in the summer of 2021 by paying a €9 million fee. He has amassed 149 appearances for the Italian club across competitions during his time in Rome.

Chelsea's pursuit of a new centre-back is expected to be heightened after Wesley Fofana's knee injury. The French centre-back has been ruled out for several months due to an ACL issue.

Mauricio Pochettino currently has Levi Colwill, Thiago Silva, Benoit Badiashile and Malang Sarr as his options at centre-back. The Blues saw Cesar Azpilicueta leave for Atletico Madrid this summer, while Kalidou Koulibaly made the move to Al-Hilal.

The loss of two experienced centre-backs coupled with Fofana's injury could propel them to sign a new centre-back this summer. It remains to be seen if Ibanez will be interested in moving to Crystal Palace if they make an offer.

The Eagles have Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen as their first-choice centre-backs, with Nathan Ferguson, Chris Richards and James Tomkins providing depth.

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Chelsea star gives verdict on Mauricio Pochettino's initial impact

Chelsea confirmed the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino as their new head coach earlier this month.

The Argentine is tasked with stabilizing a shaky Blues team that finished 12th in the Premier League last season. He has already overseen a major summer overhaul which has included the exits of stars like Kalidou Koulibaly, Edouard Mendy and Mason Mount.

'Poch' is currently overseeing training sessions in North Carolina as his team prepares for five games in five different cities in the USA. Marc Cucurella was asked about the Argentine's initial impact on the team in a recent press conference.

The former Brighton & Hove Albion left-back told reporters, via Football.London:

"Always when you change manager you try to do your best because there is a new manager. He is a new leader.- Mauricio has the clear ideas, he shows all of his objectives, he shows key things to do. We start to build and tomorrow we try to do our best in our first game, we have a lot of new players and we need to build for the first game of the season."

Pochettino has already confirmed that all four left-backs at Chelsea — Cucurella, Ben Chilwell, Lewis Hall and Ian Maatsen — will be given a shot at first-team football.