Chelsea could lose blossoming transfer target if Tottenham take up January opportunity
Chelsea 3-1 Southampton: Picture highlights
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
Chelsea could lose out on summer transfer target Aurelien Tchouameni if Tottenham take up a new opportunity to revive their interest in Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie. Reports indicate that the Italian giants are keen to bring in Tchouameni as McKennie’s replacement, which threatens to leave the Blues empty-handed in their search for midfield reinforcements.
Transfer chief Marina Granovskaia’s solution to Chelsea’s midfield conundrum was to recruit Saul Niguez from Atletico Madrid on deadline day.
More lucrative options such as Declan Rice had been discussed, although West Ham’s £100million price-tag proved a stumbling block and the Blues turned elsewhere.
If Saul’s poor start is anything to go by, Granovskaia could be back in the market for a midfielder next summer after his season-long loan expires.
Monaco’s Aurelien Tchouameni, a player linked to Stamford Bridge over the summer, would then be a year older and more experienced in his bid to step up to a more successful European side.
JUST IN: Real Madrid chief Florentino Perez sets date for Kylian Mbappe transfer resolution
It was reportedly his lack of experience which ultimately put Chelsea off pulling the trigger this summer.
Nevertheless, the 21-year-old has started the campaign in superb form, putting in the kind of performances which, according to The Daily Mail, have perked the interest of Juventus.
Naturally, it would be much easier for the Italian giants to make their move if they could shift one of their existing midfielders beforehand.
TuttoSport claim that Weston McKennie is the man deemed expendable, an industrious 23-year-old who Tottenham were linked with during the summer.
DON’T MISS:
Arsenal eye Premier League transfer targets to replace Lacazette
Salah’s wage demands leaked as Liverpool ace eyes parity with City duo
Arsenal signing Sterling could end up dealing killer Tottenham blow
Nuno Espirito Santo has regularly tinkered with his midfield trio this campaign, hinting that he could soon look to the market in order to find exactly what he is looking for.
If Spurs decided to offer Juve a route to offload McKennie, it could pave the way for Massimiliano Allegri’s side to lure in Tchouameni before Chelsea have a chance to react.
Such a series of events would be a serious blow for Tuchel and Granovskaia, given that his recent performances for Monaco suggest that he could soon become something special.
It would also rub salt in the wounds if London rivals Spurs are able to make them pay for holding fire on Tchouameni during the summer.
More positively, however, is the fact that many questioned whether Tuchel really needed yet another top-class midfielder in his already star-studded squad.
Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Saul are already vying for minutes, while forgotten man Ruben Loftus-Cheek is also giving the German an unexpected headache.
Exactly where Tchouameni would fit into that hierarchy of talent is tough to say, while the prospect of joining Juventus may offer a clearer route into first-team plans.
All in all, the Blues’ prospects of landing the Monaco youngster appear to be fading, while Spurs can make it even harder if they push for McKennie in January.
Source: Read Full Article