Chelsea could land Dayot Upamecano this summer window as Thomas Tuchel identifies the French centre-back as his top transfer target.
German outlet BILD claims the RB Leipzig defender is attracting interest from Chelsea, with his £37 million release clause unlikely to put the London side off.
And Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is believed to be interested in funding the deal, with the blues already holding talks with Upamecano’s agency Sport360.
The west London club face huge competition from clubs like Liverpool and Bayern Munich, and a number of other European teams also chasing the Leipzig player.
Upamecano is also said to favour a move to the Premier League over staying in the Bundesliga.
Speaking in September, the player said: “I have extended my contract with Leipzig. I am targeted by several clubs, I speak with clubs, but I have time. We will see what happens in the future.”
The 21-year-old defender was recently called up to the France national team for the first time and is proud to be part of the set-up.
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“The senior French team is a dream for me. I have played with all of the youth national teams. I dreamed of coming to the castle. Now, I’m there. My work has been rewarded, I’m proud of myself.
“It’s not easy to have this competition, but it’s even better for my progress to work with great players like [Raphael] Varane, [Presnel] Kimpembe and [Clement] Lenglet who have experience and played a lot of big matches.”
Thiago Silva has been a revelation at the heart of Chelsea’s defence since joining the club from PSG. The 36-year-old is already nearing the end of his career.
Kurt Zouma has been Silva’s regular partner, while there have been doubts over the futures of Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Fikayo Tomori at the club.
