Chelsea Slap £30m Price Tag on Flop Midfielder After Just One Season at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea will demand at least £30m for Danny Drinkwater this summer if they are to sell the midfielder.
Drinkwater endured a difficult first season at Stamford Bridge, making just 12 Premier League appearances after joining the Blues from Leicester City last summer.
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Chelsea spent £35m to acquire the services of Drinkwater and, according to the Telegraph (via the Daily Star), will now look to recoup most of what they spent on the player.
The midfielder, who formed an integral part of Leicester's historic 2015/16 title-winning side, has been deemed surplus to requirements as Chelsea already have the likes of N'Golo Kante, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Cesc Fabregas ahead of Drinkwater in the pecking order.
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West Ham have been linked with a move for Drinkwater this summer but could be put off by the news of this sizeable price tag.
Another potential target for the Hammers in midfield is William Carvalho, with the Portugal international now potentially available for free after his Sporting Lisbon contract was terminated.
Drinkwater began his career at Manchester United but failed to break into the first team at Old Trafford, spending time on loan at the likes of Huddersfield Town and Cardiff City before joining Leicester in 2012.
After helping the Foxes achieve promotion to the Premier League, Drinkwater formed an unstoppable partnership in midfield with Kante as Claudio Ranieri's side stunned the footballing world by lifting the Premier League title.
Drinkwater's performances for Leicester earned him his first England call-up in 2016. However, limited opportunities since his move to Chelsea have prevented him from making more than three appearances for the national side and Drinkwater was not included for selection in Gareth Southgate's World Cup squad.
