Chelsea are reportedly in discussions with Southampton over re-signing Tino Livramento this summer with a view to loaning the right-back immediately back to the Saints.
How much is Tino Livramento worth?
According to the Daily Mail, Southampton have already rejected two offers from Newcastle United for Livramento, the most recent of which was in the region of £21m.
It is claimed that if Chelsea wish to trump top-four Premier League rivals Newcastle for the England U21 international, they may have to splash out as much as £38m.
That is an almighty fee given that Chelsea received just £4m when Southampton signed the youngster – who had never played a game at senior level – two years ago.
Do Chelsea need Tino Livramento?
First and foremost, Chelsea already have Reece James – one of the finest full-backs on the continent when fit – and highly rated new arrival Malo Gusto competing for a right-back spot next season, while long-serving Cesar Azpilicueta is still at the club for now.
Mauricio Pochettino is not exactly in desperate need of a right-back, then, even if Livramento is clearly a talented player, with other positions far more in need of upgrades.
Chelsea have mixed experiences when it comes to bringing players back to Stamford Bridge, with high-profile examples being Didier Drogba, Nemanja Matic, David Luiz and Romelu Lukaku.
That most recent example is particularly pertinent as Chelsea paid a club-record £97.5m to re-sign Lukaku from Inter Milan two years ago, only to loan him back last season. As things stand, it is unclear whether the Belgian will return to Stamford Bridge for the 2023-24 campaign, or once again be sent out on loan.
Either way, the West London outfit will surely wish they had not let their heart rule their head when paying big for Lukaku, with the powerful Belgian scoring just 15 goals in 44 matches since returning.
Livramento and Lukaku are two completely different players at different stages of their careers, of course, but lessons must be learned. After all, it must be remembered that the Southampton youngster has played just 34 senior matches in his entire career.
There is no doubt that Livramento looked "top-class", as per scout Jacek Kulig, during his maiden campaign at Southampton, but a long-term injury restricted him to just two Premier League outings in 2023-24, and there is no guarantee that he will be able to regain his previous level any time soon.
Even when earning widespread praise in his debut top-flight term, then-Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl warned Livramento he "still has a lot of things to learn". Having not played a great deal of football since then, it is hard to know if said lessons have been learned.
With a massive price tag, a history of injuries and so little senior football, there is no doubt Chelsea would be taking a huge risk if they reach an agreement to sign Livramento.
When you also consider fellow youngster Gusto has outperformed Livramento in a number of areas across both players' careers, ranging from goal involvements (0.14 per 90 minutes v 0.07) to tackles (2.43 v 2.26), as per FBref, then you have to question whether the Blues risk getting another transfer call totally wrong.