Chelsea are reportedly interested in and have scouted Atletico Madrid defender Jose Gimenez, with Frank Lampard keen to reinforce the Blues defence.
The Telegraph have noted that Frank Lampard might be looking to sanction a double raid on Atletico Madrid. While Jan Oblak is on the Chelsea radar as a potential replacement for Kepa Arrizbalaga, the club is also looking at Uruguayan international Jose Gimenez with the central defensive problems in mind.
Chelsea’s defensive weaknesses were on show once again as Liverpool dismantled them 5-3, denting their hopes of finishing third in the Premier League. Frank Lampard will be looking to address the problem area, especially their inability to be effective on set-pieces at either end of the pitch.
Chelsea have been linked with a move to add to their central defensive options, with rumours that Frank Lampard wants to sign Declan Rice and play him as a centre-back. But, Jose Gimenez could be a natural option who also has more experience at the top level of football.
The Uruguayan international has successfully taken over from his compatriot Diego Godin at Atletico Madrid. When not absent due to a muscle injury in the 2019/20 season, Gimenez has been a key part of the Atletico backline, with 11 clean sheets in 21 appearances for the club in La Liga.
There are talks of a potential exodus waiting to happen at Atletico Madrid, with the likes of Jan Oblak, Gimenez and Saul Niguez all linked with other European bigwigs. Gimenez is contracted till 2023 but might be enticed by the project at Chelsea, who have already secured a couple of exciting names for the upcoming season(s) in the form of Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech.
The conjecture, though, might arrive from within the Chelsea camp. Frank Lampard will reportedly have to offload at least one central defender in order to move for Gimenez and the current manager would have to assess his options carefully before making a decision.
So far, only Kurt Zouma has attracted widespread interest and should he be allowed to leave, a move for Gimenez would not only mean an upgrade in terms of quality and experience but also in terms of composure, leadership and aerial ability.
