Chelsea eye transfer target who can instantly make their defense elite
Chelsea want their defense to be airtight next season. Adding this world-class central defender would help Frank Lampard accomplish that goal.
Frank Lampard has improved Chelsea’s attack by signing both Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech this summer. Now it’s time for him to turn his attention towards bolstering the Blues’ defense. Prying Jose Gimenez away from Atletico Madrid would instantly give the club a world-class center back to build around.
Understandably, it will be a difficult move for Chelsea to complete. According to The Daily Star, Gimenez’s current contract with Atletico includes a release clause of £110 million. The Blues are not willing to stump that sort of fee for the supremely talented, but somewhat injury-prone defender. They want to convince Atleti to part with Gimenez for a fee somewhere in the neighborhood of £60 million.
What will Chelsea get for their money?
Chelsea’s original summer transfer plan was to ink West Ham star Declan Rice to solidify their defense. Their Premier League rivals were in no mood to do them any favors. The moment West Ham secured survival in England’s top-flight they slapped an £80 million price tag on Rice’s head.
In the end, Chelsea may need to rethink their original financial offer if they want sign a player of Gimenez’s quality. He’s just the sort of central defender who can grab the club’s backline by the scruff of the neck and transform them into one of the Premier League’s top units. Signing Gimenez wouldn’t solve Lampard’s issues at left-back, but it would finally give him the type of center back play he needs to challenge the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.
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When Gimenez is viewed in that context, it’s hard to really estimate what is value should be to a club in Chelsea’s position. At the very least, the Blues should be willing to meet Atletico halfway. Stumping a fee upwards of £80 million for a player of Gimenez’s quality is a move the Blues should strongly consider. It could easily be the sort of transaction that transforms Chelsea from an interesting top-four side to a legitimate title contender.