Chelsea are not 'looking to invest' in a new left-wing back during the final days of the January transfer window, according to journalist Dean Jones

First-choice option Ben Chilwell has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after it was revealed he needed surgery on an ACL injury, leaving Thomas Tuchel short of options in that area of the pitch. 

What is the latest news involving Chelsea?

With Chiwell sidelines, Marcos Alonso is the only natural option on the left-hand side of defence for Chelsea and they've been linked with several exciting talents as a result. 

They were reportedly taking an interest in former Everton full-back Lucas Digne before he moved to Aston Villa and Stuttgart's Borna Sosa emerged as a potential new target over the weekend. 

According to Sky Sports Germany (as relayed by Sport Witness), the Blues are contemplating making a move for the 24-year-old, who is said to be valued in the region of €30 million (£25m).

It's claimed Villa made an attempt to sign Sosa before the proposed switch fell through while reigning Serie A champions Inter are also believed to be keen on his signature. 

The report states that a summer deal is more likely, though, meaning Chelsea may see out the remainder of 2021/22 with just Alonso available down one flank. 

What has Jones said about Chelsea?

After splashing out on a club-record record transfer fee to bring Romelu Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge for a whopping £97.5m over the summer, there may not be too much room to manoeuvre in Tuchel's budget this winter. 

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Jones believes that the capital club do want an additional left-wing back, but are not prepared to pay Stuttgart's asking price for Sosa and would have moved for Digne if they had that sort of money to spend. 

He told GiveMeSport: “From what I've heard, that is not something that Chelsea are looking to invest in right now.

"They obviously do want a new full-back to come in, but not at £25m. I think if that was the case, they probably would have been more serious about Lucas Digne and signing him.”

Do Chelsea need another left-wing back?

As per WhoScored, Chilwell has achieved the highest season rating amongst his teammates (7.65), illustrating how big a loss the England international is to Chelsea. 

And although Alonso has done an admirable job in replacing him, recording a rating of 7.03, the 31-year-old often struggles with the defensive aspect of his game.

The attack-minded wing-back has recorded 1.8 tackles, 2.2 clearances and 0.1 blocks per league game this term, placing him outside of the top five when compared to his colleagues for each metric. 

Therefore, Tuchel could surely do with some reinforcements on the left-hand side, but it seems as though the German tactician will have to do without any until the summer.  

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