Better than Levi Colwill: Chelsea must act fast to sign the next William Saliba

16 Sept 2026 18:58 BST | 6 min read

Tom Weber | Writer

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Chelsea are long-standing admirers of Como wonder boy Jacobo Ramon, but if they don't act decisively, the Spaniard might outgrow them.

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The 21-year-old has been an unqualified success since leaving Real Madrid for Italy, with Como managing to sign him for just €2.5 million last year. This already looks like one of the bargain buys of the decade.

Of course, similar to their signing of Nico Paz, Como had to make a major concession to get Ramon on the cheap: they had to accept Real Madrid's demand for a staggered buy-back clause.

Current ETV

Jacobo Ramón

D (C)

Como

Jacobo Ramón

D (C)

Como

ETV Range

€13M - €15.9M

In other words, they had to grant the Spanish giants the opportunity to re-sign Ramon for a figure below his market value for the subsequent three summer transfer windows. The cost of this clause increases year on year, but Real Madrid won't have to break the bank to bring him back.

Los Blancos already mulled over exercising their return option this summer, but they ultimately decided against it, with new manager Jose Mourinho preferring experience over potential. After all, the Portuguese was hired to end Real Madrid's trophy drought immediately.

Ramon's uncertain future

There is a firm expectation that Ramon will be re-signed by Real Madrid next summer, although recent history has shown that this doesn't guarantee that a transfer will indeed materialise.

This summer, the LaLiga outfit planned to bring back the aforementioned Paz for €9m, but the player wanted to continue his development at Como. Consequently, Real Madrid renegotiated their original €6m deal with Como.

Contrary to reports at the time, Real Madrid didn't actually trigger their buy-back clause because, under FIFA rules, you can't sign a player and immediately flip them for a profit. Instead, they changed the terms of their existing agreement with Como.

The Serie A said paid a club-record €60m to keep Paz and gave Real Madrid the option to re-sign him for €80m in 2027. In turn, the latter waived their 50% sell-on clause, allowing Como to bank all the money from a sale to a different club.

The same logic would apply to Ramon next year. Real Madrid can't bring him back and then immediately sell him, as that would constitute an illegal "bridge transfer."

So, their options are either to re-sign and keep him, let him stay at Como for another season or allow him to be sold by the Italian club and thus lose control of his future.

The latter isn't a completely unrealistic scenario because Ramon has no shortage of suitors. Numerous clubs, most notably Chelsea, have been keenly following his development in Italy.

The Blues are the side most persistently linked with a move for the right-sided centre-back, but there was also interest from Arsenal this summer. They explored a deal in their search for an injury replacement for William Saliba, but a transfer simply wasn't feasible.

Fabregas: Ramon has "grown beyond our expectations"

The way Ramon is developing, Chelsea are potentially facing a race against time to sign him. Another season at Como, and the Spaniard may simply outgrow the Blues. He is on track to become one of Europe's best central defenders, making him increasingly attractive to Real Madrid.

AS points out that Ramon has become indispensable to Como boss Cesc Fabregas since his arrival last year. He started all but three of the Serie A matches he was available for last term, and he has played every available minute so far this season.

Ramon bagged his first goal of the campaign - set up by Paz - against Parma at the weekend, after which Fabregas waxed lyrical about him and his development. "[Assistant coach] Dani Guindos had coached him as a child at Real Madrid," the manager began.

"When we signed him, we knew everything about the player and the person, which is very important. He has certainly grown beyond our expectations.

"I thought he needed more time for everything, but from day one he has been playing very well, and I am very happy with him, with his attitude, his hunger and his desire to improve every day."

The report points out that Ramon's "exponential growth" has been very "surprising," and journalist Sabrina Uccello has explained exactly why the Spaniard is such an exciting prospect.

The "charismatic" youngster has been able to "expand his range of action thanks to his speed and intelligence" following the arrival of Yan Couto from Borussia Dortmund as the team's new right-back.

"In fact, he often moves forward, attacking the space behind the defence and utilising his technical skills in ball control, qualities that are also valuable thanks to his height in goal on set pieces," Uccello writes.

She adds: "The player never shies away from one-on-one duels and expands his range of movement, acting as a supporting full-back or centrally when needed, and even reaching the halfway line.

"This makes him an unpredictable element in Como's attacking moves, which originate from deep, and at the same time a difficult defender to get past in his usual position."

Data analytics firm SciSports concurs that Ramon is a special talent. The 21-year-old has a huge ceiling and, if he were to end up at Chelsea, he could comfortably become their best player if he were to live up to his potential.

Not even Levi Colwill, Chelsea's most highly-rated defender, can match the potential of Ramon, nor can new signing Honest Ahanor, who will join next year. The good thing is that Ramon would not be a competitor for Colwill or Ahanor, as they play on the left.

On the contrary, he could be the perfect complementary piece for them. The question is just whether Chelsea can manage to sign him, considering that Real Madrid control his future.

They may stand a chance if they act decisively before he establishes himself among Europe's elite.