This defender with £44.5m release clause is Chelsea’s best bet for finding Cesar Azpiliceuta’s long-term successor

Elseid Hysaj can be the ideal long-term successor to Cesar Azpilicueta

According to the Sun, Chelsea are linked with signing Napoli’s Albanian international right-back Elseid Hysaj ahead of the January transfer window.

The 24-year-old has a mammoth £44.5 million release clause in his contract but Chelsea are hopeful of stealing the right-back for a much cheaper fee as the Blues plan to loan him back to Napoli for the rest of the campaign after the January deal. The move, if it materializes, will be Chelsea’s third raid on the Italian outfit in the current season, having already snapped up boss Maurizio Sarri and Jorginho in the summer.

Manager Maurizio Sarri wants a replacement for reserve right-back Davide Zappacosta who might head for the exit door next summer in search of regular first-team minutes. (h/t Sun)

Hysaj has made a total of 151 appearances for Napoli across all competitions after making a move from fellow Serie A outfit Empoli back in 2015 and is currently one of the hottest properties in the Italian top flight.

Standing at 6ft., Hysaj has just the ideal height for a full-back which allows him to use his pace and agility to cover ground quickly. A player characterized by high levels of concentration and composure, the Albanian is known for his wonderful tackling technique and superior game-reading ability at the back.

A tactically versatile full-back, the 24-year-old has shown the ability to play on either side of the backline, making him a valuable asset to any club. Not only does he have a sound positional sense and is rarely caught out of position but he also boasts of an incredible disciplinary record, having amassed only 18 yellow cards from 151 appearances for Napoli.

Hysaj is also comfortable with the ball at his feet and has a good range of passing, both short and long, which should make him a perfect fit for Maurizio Sarri’s system at Chelsea. In fact, he averages 56.3 passes per game with an accuracy percentage of 86.5, including 2.7 long balls per game, which highlights his ability to set up attacks from the back.

Hysaj is not particularly a modern-day offensive-minded flying full-back and his non-involvement both in terms of goals and assists is certainly a red flag. However, he is a no-nonsense defender who likes to stick to his job at the back and he has all the attributes to become the long-term successor to Cesar Azpilicueta.

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Meanwhile, Davide Zappacosta has found regular minutes hard to come by in the Premier League and his involvement has largely been restricted to the Carabao Cup and the UEFA Europa League. Quite clearly, he doesn’t have a future at the club and a move away from Stamford Bridge will be a win-win situation for all parties involved.

That said, Hysaj is a player with a huge potential who ticks all the boxes to taste success in the Premier League and Chelsea should go all out to land him in January.