Chelsea to offer Thiago Silva new contract to lead youthful defence

Suraj Radia

• Updated: 24 Jan 2023 06:59 GMT
• 3 min read

Chelsea are ready to offer a new contract to Thiago Silva which would keep the evergreen defender at the club until past his 39th birthday.

The Brazilian’s current deal expires at the end of the season and he is ready to hold talks over his future after putting his future on hold until after the 2022 World Cup.

Silva, who joined Chelsea from Paris Saint-Germain in 2020, was part of the Blues’ side that won the Champions League in 2021 and is seen as the perfect role model to the team’s youthful defence.

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Chelsea have signed 21-year-old Benoit Badiashile this month and are hoping to seal the signing of Malo Gusto, 19, from Lyon after reportedly agreeing personal terms with the right-back.

The club also brought in Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella during the summer, who are 22 and 24 respectively, and the club are making a conscious shift towards a younger core despite Silva still being seen as an integral part of the team.

Silva has played more minutes than anyone else in Chelsea’s squad this season and the club have no concerns over offering the 38-year-old a new deal after being impressed by his attitude and ability despite his increasing age.

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Chelsea have spent more than €150 million this month and they are set to continue their spree despite an outlay which is more than all the other teams in the major European leagues combined.

Gusto appears to be the club’s next target and Chelsea are set to return to negotiations with Lyon after seeing their opening bid knocked back, although a stumbling block could be the French side’s insistence on getting the right-back to return on loan until the summer.

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Manchester United are also interested in Gusto but Chelsea are optimistic of winning the race for the Frenchman before looking to focus on targets in midfield.

The Blues are reportedly considering going back in for Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez despite being told that they would have to pay his €120m release clause to sign him.

The club are also interested in Everton duo Anthony Gordon, who they had a bid rejected for last summer, as well as Amadou Onana, who only joined the Toffees for £33m in August.

Chelsea will continue to spend and offer long-term contracts to prospective signings amid speculation that FIFA could soon introduce a five-year limit on contract lengths following the club’s recent transfer activity.