Thomas Tuchel saw £85m Chelsea offer for Jules Kounde alternative rejected
Chelsea tried to sign Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos this summer, but saw a huge offer turned down, according to a report.
Chelsea put £85m on the table for the Brazilian defender, so was Thomas Tuchel’s desire to be reunited with the player.
The 27-year-old centre-back worked under Tuchel during the manager’s time in Paris.
Chelsea were hunting for a centre-back in the summer with Jules Kounde understood to be Tuchel’s top target. A move for the Sevilla star never materialised though with the LaLiga club moving the price on the France international.
Just where the club’s efforts to Marquinhos’ fit on the timeline is unclear. But French outlet RMC Sport claim Tuchel was actively chasing a deal for the PSG man.
Tuchel wanted to reunite Thiago Silva with Marquinhos and had set aside €100m. The outlet though, who refer to “English sources” say that both PSG and the player turned down the potential transfer.
Marquinhos was apparently in no mood to leave. Not surprising with Lionel Messi, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Sergio Ramos, Achraf Hakimi and Georginio Wijnaldum all arriving.
PSG’s angle was that Mauricio Pochettino holds Marquinhos in high regard. And he was in no mood to see the player move on.
There are no details as to when Chelsea made their move for the former Roma man. Did Tuchel try to land him previous to trying to sign Kounde? Or was Marquinhos a secondary target after he knew Kounde was staying put.
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De Ligt release clause
Another nan who is on Chelsea’s radar is Juventus defender Matthijs De Ligt.
He has a release clause in his contract in Turin that will become active next summer, according to a reliable source.
Over the weekend the Sunday Express stated that Chelsea were ready to make a move for De Ligt.
The Holland international centre-back was wanted by Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool before completing a £70m move from Ajax to Juve in 2019.
The classy defender is under contract until 2024. However, he is understood to have a release clause in his deal which will become active next summer.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano explained: “But in particular, because Matthijs de Ligt has a release clause into his contract with Juventus. This clause is valid from next summer, so 2022, it’s a clause valid for €150m.
“So, De Ligt will be available on the market for €150m.”
READ MORE: Chelsea U-turn sees Tuchel favourite on brink of new deal; bumper pay rise
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