Chelsea handed boost in pursuit of 24-year-old midfielder as he sits out of training after communicating desire to seal Stamford Bridge move: Reports

Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez has reportedly skipped training as he wants to force a move to Chelsea.

According to Dutch outlet De Telegraaf, the 24-year-old has had his head turned by the potential of a big-money contract in the Premier League. Alvarez sees Chelsea as one of his dream clubs and is encouraged by the fact that Ajax are yet to reject an offer from the west London club.

Sky Sports have reported that the Blues have made a £43 million offer for the Mexican international, which would take their summer spending to over £300 million. Thomas Tuchel is keen to sign a striker and a midfielder before the deadline as his team have endured a difficult start to the season.

The two-time European champions have won just twice in their five games so far and are lacking a defensive midfielder. Alvarez would be an excellent addition to the squad, as N'Golo Kante and Jorginho are both in the final years of their contracts.

Mateo Kovacic has suffered numerous injury problems lately, while Conor Gallagher received a red card in his second start for the club. Meanwhile, Ruben Loftus-Cheek has been used a right-wing-back in recent times, while Ross Barkley has been released.

Alvarez would certainly bring more defensive ability to Tuchel's side, who have only kept one clean sheet all season.

---

Thomas Tuchel believes Chelsea need to sign more players before window slams shut

The Blues suffered a second consecutive away defeat at Southampton on Tuesday, but even before that defeat, Tuchel insisted his side needed strengthening.

Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly, Raheem Sterling and Marc Cucurella are among those to join Stamford Bridge this summer. But speaking ahead of the game at St. Mary's, the German boss told a press conference (as quoted by Sport Bible):

"Right now, I think we could need some more players in some positions, but it's very close to the end of the transfer window, and when September 1 comes, I will be a happy coach no matter what happens. I will try to find solutions and not think about what might have happened or what could be."

The club certainly appear to be lacking a centre-forward following the departures of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner earlier in the summer. The likes of Anthony Gordon, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Neymar have all been linked, but time is running out for Chelsea to bring in more bodies.