Chelsea targeting Atletico Madrid star to fix defence
Chelsea are identifying options in case Thiago Silva doesn’t renew his contract at the club and leaves at the end of his deal this summer.
The Blues have invested heavily in their defence over the summer with the signings of Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella, Kalidou Koulibaly and others.
However, they are likely to be back in the market for a new centre-half next year as Silva is yet to agree a new deal and could move in a free transfer.
Now, they have identified Atletico Madrid’s Jose Maria Gimenez as an option and are seriously considering an approach for him in the near future to improve their defence.
Jose Gimenez of interest to Chelsea
The Blues have been troubled by defensive issues this season and that has reflected in their performances over the course of the season.
Gimenez, meanwhile, has impressed for Atletico Madrid in recent times and journalist Rudy Galetti says the Blues are eyeing a move for the defender.
He says that Chelsea ‘concede a lot’ and the feeling in the club is that there are ‘so many problems in defence’ that need addressing.
They could move for the defender in the January transfer window and could take advantage of the fact that Atletico Madrid need to sell players in order to raise funds after their Champions League exit.
Atletico Madrid need to fix those financial difficulties as quickly as possible and could be tempted to sell the player, with some suggestions Gimenez is one of the players up for sale.
Interesting fact: Jose Gimenez (4736) has played more minutes than Ronald Araujo (4645) over the last 2 seasons.
Gimenez is (rightly) labeled injury prone. I hope Araujo doesn’t have the same bad luck as his Uruguayan teammate. https://t.co/nFGynt1RQ5— Michael (Formerly @CholoColcho) (@LaLigaMichael) September 24, 2022
Chelsea will have to wait and see how he performs in the World Cup for Uruguay when it begins this month and there could be more interest in the player in the near future.
It’s believed there is a €30 million hole in Atletico Madrid’s finances and a sale of players could help fix that in the short run.