Chelsea consider out-of-favour Real Madrid defender

Chelsea are rumoured to be considering a move for Real Madrid’s Fabio Coentrao, to replace the expected loss of Ashley Cole at the end of the season.

Ashley Cole’s current contract ends in July, and there is no date in the Chelsea diary for talks of an extension as of yet.

Chelsea tried to sign the Portuguese left-back in the summer of last year, but the player was persuaded to sign for Real instead.

The 24-year-old is a regular for Portugal but has failed to challenge Madrid’s Marcelo for a regular starting place at the club.

The Portuguese defender has been limited to only 6 starts in all competitions for Real this season, including a brilliant performance against Manchester City.

Ryan Bertrand is Chelsea’s current second-choice left-back and it is not yet known whether Chelsea will decide to invest in an under-study to Ryan, an established left-back, or somebody to challenge Bertrand for for the role.

It would appear to be somewhat of a risk, installing the English utility player with a understudy, considering the player’s lack of first-team experience in the left-back position.

I would be happy to see Coentrao arrive at Stamford Bridge, but I would prefer for Ryan to get his chance to prove himself. The majority of his starts have come in midfield and it would be a shame to see him rot away on the bench. Do you think Bertrand has what it takes to be Chelsea’s first-choice left-back?