Wolves set asking price for Chelsea's target to replace Marcos Alonso

Wolverhampton Wanderers will reportedly demand £45million for defender Rayan Ait-Nouri who is wanted by Chelsea.

Thomas Tuchel is after a new left-back this summer to help cover the injury-prone Ben Chilwell, with current back-up option Marcos Alonso looking increasingly likely to leave Stamford Bridge for Barcelona.

With club captain Cesar Azpilicueta also linked with the Nou Camp, Tuchel is in serious need of defensive cover after losing Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, and Ait Nouri has been identified as a potential signing.

The Blues were initially after Brighton’s Marc Cucurella, but he is more closely linked with Manchester City with Pep Guardiola’s side set to bid for the Spaniard very soon, but Ait-Nouri has been viewed as an alternative, cheaper option, who is already comfortable playing as a wing-back.

However, The Sun report that Wolves want £45m for the 21-year-old who has scored twice and made seven assists since moving to Molineux in 2020.

Ait-Nouri is also being monitored by City in case they do not sign Cucurella, with Guardiola prioritising a new left-back as his only options in that position, Joao Cancelo and Oleksandr Zinchenko, are not naturals there, and the latter is also rumoured to be on the way out of the Etihad.

Alternatively, if Cucurella does join the Citizens, Brighton could move for Ait-Nouri but are unlikely to meet Wolves’ valuation of the player, although the Seagulls would undoubtedly have the funds having already sold Yves Bissouma to Tottenham for £25million.

Chelsea have been linked with a number of different defenders already this summer including Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde, whom they failed to sign last season, and Inter Milan right-back Denzel Dumfries who is also