Why Chelsea could revive interest in Thiago Silva replacement

James Shearman

• Updated: 14 Sept 2023 17:36 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea could revive their interest in defender Matthijs de Ligt, who is out of favour at Bayern Munich.

De Ligt reportedly topped the Blues centre-back shortlist last summer but he chose to move to the Bavarian club instead.

However, the Dutchman could still become available to the west London club as Bayern head coach Thomas Tuchel is said to be frustrated with him.

READ MORE: Premier League 2023/24 summer transfers: All the Done Deals

The former Chelsea boss does not appreciate De Ligt's style of play, according to German outlet tz, as he is too slow at playing out from the back and often only completes sideways passes.

As a result, he has been demoted to third choice, behind summer signing Kim Min-jae and Dayot Upamecano.

De Ligt has only played a total of 76 minutes in the 2023-24 season, notably substituted at halftime in Bayern's DFL-Supercup defeat to RB Leipzig.

The 24-year-old is said to be prepared to work on his passing and continue to fight for his place at the Allianz Arena, but Chelsea will surely be keeping tabs on the situation.

De Ligt to Chelsea?

Thiago Silva is 38 years old; the Brazilian's time at Stamford Bridge is coming to an end.

While Silva has been an excellent player for the past two seasons, Chelsea need to begin their search for his replacement.

Indeed, the centre-back has shown some signs of regression in a difficult start to the 2023-24 season for Mauricio Pochettino's side.

And, particularly if the Argentine boss intends to stick with a back three, De Ligt could be an ideal replacement.

In the heart of the defence, De Ligt could excel with purely his defensive attributes, with faster and more progressive passers such as Levi Colwill and Benoit Badiashile either side.

Not to mention, Tuchel is interested in bringing Blues defender Trevoh Chalobah to Germany, meaning there is potential for a swap deal between the two clubs.