"It's almost criminal" - European club slammed for rejecting €50 million Chelsea bid for 24-year-old midfielder

Former PSV Eindhoven winger Kenneth Perez has condemned the Dutch club's decision to reject Chelsea's offer for Ibrahim Sangare in the summer.

Chelsea made nine new additions to their squad in the recently-concluded transfer window. They spent a significant amount of money to sign the likes of Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella, Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly.

The Blues were prepared to invest more money in the final days of the window, with a midfielder at the top of their wishlist. They eventually signed Denis Zakaria on loan from Juventus, but the Swiss was not their preferred target.

Chelsea had a €50 million bid rejected by Ajax for Edson Alvarez and were forced to look elsewhere. They also considered a move for PSV's Sangare in the final stretch of the window.

The Stamford Bridge outfit reportedly approached the Eredivisie club with an offer well in excess of €40 million. However, they faced rejection once again, with Ruud van Nistelrooy's side turning down the bid.

Perez has now slammed PSV's decision to reject an offer worth €50 million for the Ivory Coast international. The Dane is of the view that turning down such a bid is 'criminal' from his former club's part. He said on ESPN Netherlands [via Inside Futbol]:

“I don’t agree with that. If you let an offer of €50m for Sangare go, I think it’s almost criminal.”

Sangare, who joined PSV from French club Toulouse in 2020, recently signed a contract extension with the Eredivisie outfit. He is now contracted to the Dutch side until the end of the 2026-27 season.

It remains to be seen if Chelsea intend to rekindle their interest in the 24-year-old. The midfielder has made 11 appearances across all competitions for Nistelrooy's side this term, scoring three goals in the process.

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A lot has changed at Chelsea since the end of the window

Chelsea have made an underwhelming start to their 2022-23 Premier League campaign. They currently sit seventh in the table with 10 points, having won three, lost two and drawn one of their six games so far.

The Blues also got their UEFA Champions League season off to a poor start, losing 1-0 to Dinamo Zagreb. The defeat saw the club pull the plug on Thomas Tuchel, who led them to glory in Europe last year.

Graham Potter has since replaced the German tactician as the London giants' boss. His first game in charge of the team did not go to plan as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Red Bull Salzburg in the Champions League last week.