Crystal Palace defender Scott Dann has emerged as a shock summer transfer target for Chelsea, according to The Daily Mail.
The Blues, who are unlikely to have European football next season unless they can win the FA Cup, had hoped to reignite their interest in John Stones at the end of the season but fear they have lost the race to secure his signature, with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City favourites to land the Everton defender.
Chelsea failed with a £38m bid for Stones last summer and are actively scouting alternative centre halves, with Dann also being taken into consideration.
Dann, 29, has been in impressive form for Alan Pardew’s side this season and has been tipped for an England call-up by his Palace manager, but having only signed a five-year deal last summer, Palace are expected to command a fee of up to £20m for his services.
The former Blackburn Rovers defender has been particularly prolific in front of goal this season as well as proving to be a capable defender. In fact, only Darmstadt’s Aytac Sulu (6) has scored more goals than Dann (5) of defenders across Europe’s top five leagues this season.
For more stats on Scott Dann, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
