Chelsea are considering making a move for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) centre-back Presnel Kimpembe, a report from the Telegraph (via the Daily Mail) has claimed.
Chelsea lost two first-team centre-backs, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, to Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively, this summer. Both players left the Premier League giants as free agents. With the duo gone, the Blues are on the lookout for reinforcements at the back.
According to the aforementioned report, the west London club are weighing up a bid for PSG defender Kimpembe. Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, who worked with Kimpembe during his two-season managerial stint in Paris, is supposedly keen on signing the Frenchman.
Kimpembe, who joined PSG's academy in 2005, has featured in 221 games for the club across competitions, scoring thrice. The 26-year-old is a six-time Ligue 1 winner and was also part of France's 2018 World Cup-winning squad.
PSG unlikely to let Chelsea prize away one of their best players
Being one of the most popular clubs on the planet, Chelsea have the pull to bring some of the best players to Stamford Bridge. Signing Kimpembe, who is surely one of the best in his position, could go a long way in helping them fight on all fronts in the coming seasons.
Unfortunately for the English club, they have to go through Paris Saint-Germain to get Kimpembe, and the Parisians are not fond of selling the players they adore.
Kimpembe has been integral to the Parisians in recent seasons. He is a great leader, a fine interceptor, and can keep up with the quickest of players. Without him leading the ranks, PSG’s defense often looks hopeless and rudderless.
Considering Sergio Ramos’ advanced age and fitness issues, the French champions cannot take the risk of solely relying on the Spaniard for the 2022-23 season.
They need Kimpembe’s discipline and defensive qualities. For that reason alone, the Blues could have a rather hard time prizing him away from Parc des Princes.
As per Transfermarkt, Kimpembe’s current value stands at €40 million and he has just under two years left on his contract with Paris Saint-Germain.