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Chelsea join Tottenham in the race to sign Serie A defender. Tottenham Hotspur’s defensive issues were well documented last season as the club narrowly avoided relegation from the Premier League. The chopping and changing of managers midway through the campaign, coupled with several injury issues, proved to be detrimental. However, Roberto De Zerbi arrived at the critical time to ensure that the Lilywhites remained in the top flight. The North Londoners have responded very well to their disappointing campaign by bringing in six new players this summer. Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke have bolstered the centre-back ranks, whilst the N17 bosses have also snapped up Andy Robertson on a free transfer from Liverpool to compete and cover for left-back Destiny Udogie. Now, Roberto De Zerbi and Co. are busy trimming the squad in a bid to add some more new faces before the new campaign begins. Luka Vuskovic has been sold to Brighton for £46m, while Tottenham and Inter Milan have reached a verbal agreement over the transfer of Cristian Romero. Amid exits, Spurs have been linked with a move for a highly-rated Serie A defender. Chelsea open talks with Tottenham-linked Atalanta defender Recent reports suggest Tottenham have enquired about Atalanta defender Giorgio Scalvini. They have reached out to the Italian international’s entourage to understand the details of a deal, with Newcastle United also keen. However, according to an exclusive report from The Sun, Chelsea have now joined Tottenham and Newcastle United in the race to sign Giorgio Scalvini. The 22-year-old is valued at around €50m, and Atalanta would not entertain any sale for anything less than that asking price. Across the capital, Chelsea are building a strong squad under new boss Xabi Alonso. A highly-rated tactician, Alonso is looking to assemble players that fit into his system. The Blues have already strengthened their backline with the acquisitions of Marco Palestra and Maxence Lacroix. They want to add further quality to their defence by bringing in Scalvini, who is rated among the best young centre-backs in Serie A. The Atalanta talent has not managed to take his game to the next level due to a series of injuries over the past two years. He was limited to only 24 Serie A outings last season owing to injury issues. The report adds that the Italian wants to play in the Premier League, and Chelsea could bid for him if they manage to offload a couple of their defenders. As far as Spurs are concerned, De Zerbi is not really in urgent need of centre-halves. In fact, should Romero depart for Inter Milan, as looks likely, the Italian boss will still have four experienced centre-backs on his roster. Moreover, veteran Ben Davies also remains an option as cover for them.