José Mourinho wants to strengthen his Chelsea defence this summer and is targeting Napoli left-back Faouzi Ghoulam to do just that, according to reports in France.

Le 10 Sport are reporting that the Blues boss is keen to land the 24-year-old Algerian international.





Chelsea have been playing César Azpilicueta as their left-back for the past two seasons despite originally being side as a right-back. The Spaniard is backed up by Filipe Luís who is being linked with a move back to Atlético Madrid after seeing limited opportunities since joining last summer.

After a solid second season with Napoli, Ghoulam is attracting interest from more than just the reigning Premier League champions.

The English champions are set to face competition from La Liga giants Real Madrid who have just appointed Rafa Benítez as their boss – the same manager who brought Ghoulam to Italy and played him 36 times in Serie A over the course of the past two seasons.

Ghoulam would cost either side €15 million (£11m) according the French outlet – decent value in today’s transfer market considering he is young and has two seasons of top flight Italian football behind him.

Faouzi Ghoulam stands at 6’2″ and is solid in the air – something Mourinho often likes in his full-backs. He also creates chances bombing on down the wing from full-back.

Real Madrid currently have Marcelo and Fábio Coentrão as their options at left-back, although the latter may be expecting to leave this summer, which would open up a place for Ghoulam if Benítez is serious about bringing him to the Bernabéu.