Chelsea would be willing to pay as much as £86m for highly-rated summer target

Chelsea are keen on signing the Benfica defender Antonio Silva at the end of the season.

The 20-year-old is regarded as one of the finest young defensive prospects in the world, and he has the attributes to develop into a world-class player.

Silva has already established himself as a key player for Benfica and he is good enough to thrive in the Premier League as well. It is no secret that Chelsea need to bring in defensive reinforcements and the Portuguese international could be the ideal long-term replacement for Thiago Silva.

The defender has a €100 million (£86m) release clause in his contract and a report from Fichajes claims that Chelsea would have no problems paying up for him.

It remains to be seen whether the Chelsea are prepared to break the bank for the defender in the coming months. They will have to tighten up defensively if they want to return to the Champions League and compete for trophies next season.

There is no doubt that Silva would improve them immensely. The 20-year-old is quite young and he is likely to improve with coaching and experience. He will look to establish himself as a key player for the Blues if the transfer goes through. The opportunity to move to the Premier League can be hard to turn down for most players.

Chelsea have conceded 41 goals in 25 league matches this season and signing a quality defender would be a step in the right direction. They will need to plug the gaps in their squad during the summer transfer window and Silva would be a superb addition.