Chelsea have struggled for consistency at the start of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign with defeats against Man United and Brighton, but they bounced back with a win over Liverpool heading into the international break.
The Blues have had a tough time with their centre-back especially after Levi Colwill's injury and disciplinary issues to their other defenders.
Enzo Maresca was forced to field Josh Acheampong and Benoit Badiashile in defense in their 2-1 win over Liverpool.
But in the upcoming clash against Nottingham Forest, the Italian manager will have plenty of options as the likes of Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Trevoh Chalobah will be available for selection.
Despite plenty of options, Chelsea are also looking at other centre-back options in the market and as per Football Insider, the Blues are keeping an eye on Lazio defender Mario Gila.
The 25-year-old Spanish centre-back is also high on the shortlist of several other Premier League clubs including Brighton and Tottenham Hotspur.
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Why are Chelsea eyeing a move for Lazio's Gila?
Chelsea suffered a major blow when they lost Colwill to an ACL injury and despite investing a lot of money in the summer transfer window, they didn't sign a centre-back.
However, once the season started there were issues in their backline as they lost games against United, Bayern Munich and Brighton due to errors in their backline.
Chelsea and Brighton are keeping close tabs on Lazio defender Mario Gila. Brighton have held a long-term interest in Gila and tried to sign him in the summer transfer window, after he ranked highly on their list of defensive targets in terms of stats. #CFC #bhafc #Lazio pic.twitter.com/lJyHr7ZXLp
— Pete O'Rourke (@SportsPeteO) October 14, 2025
While they have talented centre-backs, none of them have that mixture of experience and quality to lead the defense for the Blues.
Here, Gila could be a great option for the West London outfit as he flourishing playing out of the back with aplomb. The Spaniard is a great progressor of the ball whilst being a great reader of the game.
The former Real Madrid academy graduate clocked 5.16 progressive passes per 90 in the Italian top division and was amongst the top seven percent of centre-backs from last season. He also registered 5.29 passes into the final third per 90.
Apart from his progressive and passing attributes, Gila also clocked 5.02 recoveries per 90 and was among the top 10% among Serie A centre-backs last season.
Gila moved to Lazio for more gametime from Real Madrid in 2022 for a meagre €6m transfer fee and since then he has established himself as a top defender at the Rome-based outfit.
Overall, he is an ideal fit in Maresca's Chelsea if they decide to push for a move in January window or next summer that remains to be seen.
As per reports, the 25-year-old is worth close to €30m and considering his contract ends in 2027, he could be a steal signing for the Blues.
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