Chelsea eye up ‘new John Terry’ as a replacement for the old one
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While the papers were dominated by Jose Mourinho’s ‘go and get Reus’ call to the Chelsea board, the Blues are reportedly preparing a move for a player a little closer to home.
With captain John Terry now 34, a long-term replacement for the former England international has jumped to the top of the ‘Special One’s’ priority list.
And he could be keen to buy British, with Ipswich Town’s Tyrone Mings on his radar.
The 21-year-old has been playing at left-back for the Tractor Boys, but Mourinho believes the 6ft3 ex-Southampton trainee has all the attributes to be moulded into a top centre back.
Mings has been ever present in an Ipswich side that are just two points off the top of the Championship in fourth place, and would likely be loaned back to the Suffolk club until the end of the season, should the transfer go ahead in the upcoming window.
Ipswich rejected a £2.5m bid for the defender from Crystal Palace in the summer, having paid non-league side Chippenham Town just £10,000 for his signature last year.
But with the big boys circling it could only be a matter of time before he moves on again.
The Premier League leaders are sure to have competition for the youngster with Arsenal and Manchester United already interested, but look to be ahead of the pack in the race to secure the hot prospect’s signature.
The pairing of Terry and Gary Cahill at the back for Chelsea has worked wonders in recent years, and the continuation of an English heart to the defence may seem like natural progression for the Stamford Bridge outfit.
Terry’s is surely only a couple of years away from retirement, and Cahill looks ready to step into the senior role of a centre half pairing.
Chelsea do have Kurt Zouma coming through the ranks, with the Frenchman making one substitute appearance this season, but it does appear that Mourinho sees the long-term future of his side’s defence elsewhere, with Mings firmly in his sight.
All odds and markets correct as of the date of publishing
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