Chelsea Transfer News: Latest Ricardo Rodriguez and Blaise Matuidi Rumours

Chelsea's pursuit of a left-back is reportedly leading the Stamford Bridge club to Wolfsburg's Switzerland international Ricardo Rodriguez. He fits as an obvious solution to the perennial problems on the left side of the Chelsea defence.

Perhaps that's why the Blues are prepared to go one step further than previously interested suitors, according to Adrian Kajumba of the Daily Mirror:

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The Switzerland international, whose current deal expires in 2019, has already told club chiefs he wants to leave Wolfsburg this summer.

Rodriguez has attracted attention from Arsenal , Roma and Real Madrid but Chelsea have emerged as the one club willing to match Wolfsburg's £22m valuation of the 23 year-old.

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It's a steep fee for a full-back, even in this wildly escalating market. Yet, Rodriguez boasts particular qualities Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is likely to admire.

In particular, the 23-year-old possesses the pace and energy to constantly raid the flank during matches. His energy levels would be welcome for a manager who has often required his full-backs to offer width as tireless workhorses.

Rodriguez would fit the bill in either the 4-3-3 formation Conte has currently adopted with the Blues or in the 3-5-2, wing-back-led structure he preferred at old club Juventus and with the Italian national team.

Left-back is an obvious question mark for Conte as he tries to refresh the Chelsea defence. He's already loaned Baba Rahman to Bundesliga club Schalke 04 and was recently credited with interest in Germany international Jonas Hector, per ESPN FC's Peter O'Rourke.

Signing Rodriguez would allow Spaniard Cesar Azpilicueta to move over to the right side, where he's more effective.

Blaise Matuidi Wants PSG Exit

Fresh from seeing current club Paris Saint-Germain sign Poland enforcer Grzegorz Krychowiak, Matuidi is ready to leave the French capital before this summer's transfer window slams shut, according to a report from Sky Italia (h/t TalkSport.com).

The report stated Matuidi will let PSG know he wants to leave, and the Ligue 1 champions will sell for bids of £35 million from any one of a queue of suitors: "Several clubs have reportedly already informed PSG of their interest in the France international, including Chelsea, Juventus and Manchester United."

There's no denying Matuidi is an outstanding midfielder. He's the classic box-to-box talisman who protects his defence and supplements the attack with equal aplomb.

Matuidi's off-the-ball runs, physical power, underrated technique and eye for goal knit PSG's play together. It's a set of skills he could take anywhere and find success.

Yet, the bigger question is whether there would be any room for Matuidi at Stamford Bridge. After all, Conte already has Nemanja Matic, Oscar and Cesc Fabregas as options.

He's also added former Leicester City destroyer N'Golo Kante this summer. Kante is the most dynamic anchorman in the game at the moment, a player who could give Chelsea the same solid foundation Claude Makelele once provided.

That's the view of ex-Blues midfielder Michael Ballack. He compared Kante to Makelele during a recent interview with Omnisport (h/t FourFourTwo.com) but offered one note of caution for the Frenchman: "He's the right player, he seems the right player, he's a good buy but still he has to deliver and he has to show that also adapt to a bigger club and bigger expectations which is not easy. But I think on paper it's a good signing."

FRANCK FIFE/Getty Images

The Kante and Matuidi double act didn't always work well for France at UEFA Euro 2016. In fact, the host nation actually played with more fluidity whenever Matuidi partnered Paul Pogba in a central two.

No obvious fit means Chelsea should pass on Matuidi. However, Conte would be wise to seriously consider recruiting Rodriguez to solve a problem position.