Chelsea are reportedly plotting a move for Porto star Jesus Corona in case they fail with their bid to sign Jadon Sancho.
The Blues are resigned to losing Willian when his contract expires and Frank Lampard has placed Borussia Dortmund wonderkid Sancho at the top of his wishlist ahead of the summer transfer window.
However, Chelsea have been forced to scour the market for possible alternatives, with Manchester United in pole position to complete a deal for the young England international.
Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz has been heavily linked with a switch to Stamford Bridge in recent weeks and another highly-rated attacker has emerged as an option for the Premier League giants.
According to The Daily Star, Porto winger Corona has been identified as an ideal back-up target by Chelsea in case their move for Sancho ends in failure.
The 27-year-old, who has racked up two goals and seven assists in the Portuguese league this season, represents a far cheaper alternative to Sancho, with Porto demanding just £26million for his signature.
However, Chelsea would have see off competition from Inter Milan and Sevilla to land the Mexico international.
The report claims Bournemouth ace Josh King is also on Chelsea’s radar as a fall-back option.
Last month, Callum Hudson-Odoi urged his England colleague, Sancho, to reject United in favour of a move to Stamford Bridge.
‘Me and Sancho are mad close, we talk every other day, always seeing how each other are and how we’re doing,’ the Chelsea winger said during a chat with Michael Dapaah on Instagram.
‘We make sure that we’re both doing well, obviously he’s doing amazing and having a great season.
‘We’re always making sure each other is good. Obviously he’s a great player, I love playing with him – he’s a great player to play with.
‘For England as well we’ve played all the way through the ages so the link up has always been there.
‘I played against him sometimes in the Youth Cup games or we would play each other for England, the link up has always been there and we’ve always loved playing with each other.
‘The way we play with each other we just know where each other is on the pitch every time and we just love to play with each other.
‘I don’t know [if he’ll come]. Of course I would love it if he came to Chelsea.
‘We’ve had a great partnership throughout, the way we play with each other is amazing. If he came, the link up will still be there’.
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