Enzo Maresca wants Chelsea to sign one of his former Leicester City stars as he prepares for the new season and the likely departure of Conor Gallagher.
Maresca officials starts at Stamford Bridge on July 1 but has already held talks with the Chelsea owners about possible incomings and outgoings during the summer transfer window.
The Italian, who previously worked as Pep Guardiola’s assistant manager at Manchester City, guided Leicester City back to the Premier League last season as the Foxes stormed to the Championship title.
Maresca is keen to bring one of his Championship winners to Stamford Bridge, with The Sun claiming he has informed Chelsea of his desire to sign Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
Dewsbury-Hall, 25, was named Leicester’s player of the season last month and was also included in the Championship team of the season after scoring 12 goals and making 14 assists.
The midfielder was expected to leave Leicester last summer amid interest from Arsenal, Liverpool, Brighton and Brentford but stayed put and starred in the Fox’s Championship title win.
Maresca reportedly views Dewsbury-Hall as an ideal replacement for Gallagher, who has been heavily linked with a move to Aston Villa as he prepares to travel to Germany with England’s Euro 2024 squad.
Gallagher, who started all but one of Chelsea’s 38 Premier League games last season, is set to enter the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge.
Rather than risk losing the 24-year-old for nothing in the summer of 2025, Chelsea are open to selling Gallagher now but will demand around £50m from Villa.
Most of that cash could go on Maresca’s proposed deal for King Power hero Dewsbury-Hall, who is valued at £40m by Leicester City.
Leicester admitted they were ‘disappointed’ by Maresca’s decision to leave and the 44-year-old could risk upsetting his former club again if he insists Chelsea bid for Dewsbury-Hall.
Following Maresca’s move to west London, Leicester City have been linked with former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper and West Brom manager Carlos Corberan as they prepare for life back in the Premier League.
Chelsea finished sixth in the English top-flight last season, though that was only after Maresca’s predecessor Mauricio Pochettino won his final five games in charge to end the campaign and his reign on a high.
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