Chelsea transfer news as football.london dives into the latest Blues rumours and reports with a fresh perspective
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Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has been rather unlucky with injuries and setbacks since the start of the season. Despite this, his array of options in centre defence doesn't get spoken about enough.
Thiago Silva, Levi Colwill and Axel Disasi have all played often throughout the campaign with Benoit Badiashile slowly recovering from his injury to return. Wesley Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah are currently out injured which has opened the door for Cobham graduate Alfie Gilchrist to make over six senior appearances.
And despite the options at Pochettino's disposal, Chelsea always seem to be linked with new central defenders. One player who was on their radar for some time is Barcelona and France star Jules Kounde.
The 25-year-old, valued at €100m (£85m) by CIES Football Observatory, opted to join the Catalan giants over the Blues in 2022 and became a regular under Xavi last season. However, his performances this season have created doubt over his future and reports in Spain are suggesting that Barca could look to cash in.
SPORT has claimed that there has been 'enormous concern' from the club hierarchy and coaching staff regarding his performance levels. It's believed that Kounde is 'no longer untouchable' and the Spanish champions would consider offers for him and ex-Chelsea defender man Andreas Christensen.
football.london says: I'm a huge fan of Chelsea's defence. Thiago Silva brings assurance, Disasi brings a 'Antonio Rudiger-feel' to the play and Colwill plays with the club badge in his heart. However, Fofana's ACL problems and Chalobah's uncertain future means a new face will be needed.
Kounde was on Todd Boehly's radar in 2022 before he eventually moved to Barcelona. Last season he was colossal for Barca's La Liga title win but this season he has been way off it. I watched the Copa del Rey quarter-final defeat to Athletic Club and he was weak in the challenge and short of confidence.
However, Barca's financial limitations could mean Chelsea could finally land their replacement for Silva, who is 39, for cheaper than his market value and bring him to west London.
Now back to Kylian Mbappe and his future. According to reports, the Paris Saint-Germain star has decided he will join Real Madrid upon the expiry of his contract at the Parc des Princes.
According to BILD via Fichajes, Los Blancos have won the race to sign Mbappe as a free agent in the summer, beating Chelsea and Arsenal to his signature. It's suggested that the striker will earn a salary in the region of €70million (£60m).
Madrid had always seemed to be the most likeliest destination for the forward. Should the report be true, Chelsea will have to place their focus on Victor Osimhen in the summer.
Should we just act surprised? We all knew Mbappe would choose Real Madrid ever since he joined PSG. His contract stalemate and disagreement has just added extra speculation.
It would have been nice to see Chelsea try their luck in attempting to bring one of football's star players but it wasn't meant to be. Now, operation Osimhen must be prioritised because Pochettino can't afford to go into another season without a clinical striker.
Real Madrid, though, will now almost certainly become a powerhouse in Europe after struggling to compete with Manchester City last season.