Chelsea have joined a number of European heavyweights in the race to sign Dayot Upamecano from RB Leipzig in the summer transfer window.
According to a report by Daily Mail, Dayot Upamecano is the subject of interest from Chelsea over a move in the summer transfer window. The Premier League heavyweights have joined the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayer Munich in pursuit of the 22-year-old.
Upamecano has established himself as one of the best defenders on show in Bundesliga since joining RB Leipzig from sister club Red Bull Salzburg in January 2017. Over the past four years or so, he has been a mainstay at the back for the German heavyweights, with his progress hardly being halted by injuries that bothered him a couple of years ago.
Since joining Leipzig, the French defender has amassed 134 appearances at Red Bull Arena, even chipping in with 4 goals and 2 assists. His progress through the years has certainly not gone unnoticed, with a bevy of European bigwigs closely monitoring his growth. The latest to have emerged in his pursuit are Chelsea.
Chelsea bolstered their defence this past summer by signing Thiago Silva, Malang Sarr and Ben Chilwell. Chilwell has solved the issues at left-back while Silva has made an instant impact in the centre, where Kurt Zouma has been his partner. However, the veteran Brazilian is in the twilight of his career, a fact that will surely not be lost on Frank Lampard and the Chelsea board.
As a result, it is important for the Blues to lay down the succession plan for Silva, which is why they have been linked with a number of centre-backs, including Mohamed Simakan. To that end, Dayot Upamecano is surely a viable target for Chelsea, who will be able to enjoy the best years of his career if they are able to secure his services.
The problem for Chelsea, though, is that several other big-name clubs across Europe are also hot in his pursuit, owing to his appealing £40 million release clause. This long list of admirers includes Liverpool, Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, although reports have suggested that United are no longer in the running to sign him.
Upamecano has even been urged to join Bayern Munich by former Leipzig manager Ralf Rangnick, which somewhat complicates Chelsea’s prospects of landing the Frenchman. For now, though, what appears to be certain is that the west Londoners are in the race to sign the youngster as well, and it remains to be seen if they can swoop him away to Stamford Bridge in the summer.
