Chelsea made arguably the most shocking deadline day transfer by bringing back David Luiz to Stamford Bridge, merely 2 years after selling him off to Paris Saint-Germain, but the Brazilian wasn’t the only defender from the Parisian’s roster who Chelsea had set their sights on.
Numerous defenders from all over Europe get linked with a move to Chelsea this summer, but to no avail. After missing out on a number of their targets, on the penultimate day of the summer transfer window Chelsea sealed a deal for Marcos Alonso and David Luiz. They were also linked with a loan move for Valencia’s Aymen Abdennour, but the deal was off after a move for Luiz worked out.
However, according to L’équipe, before setting sights on bringing back David Luiz, Chelsea had targeted PSG youngster Presnel Kimpembe. The young Frenchman is a product of PSG’s youth system, where he came through the ranks and made his debut in 2014 and has since gone on to make 14 appearances for the Parisians. Scouts from Chelsea had come to watch him in PSG’s 1-3 loss to Monaco. His people were contacted over a possible transfer as the end of the window edged closer, after which there was no contact from the Blues.
Chelsea’s sudden loss of interest in the French U21 international was due to the fact that Antonio Conte wanted a more experienced option at center back, hence the eventual £34 million move. David Luiz enjoyed arguably the most successful period of his career with Chelsea, winning 2 European competitions and the FA Cup during his time with the Blues, going on to become a cult hero at Stamford Bridge in the process. Though often criticised for his lapses in concentration while defending and his errors that lead to goal, Luiz would provide another top class option at center back for Antonio Conte alongside John Terry and would also help significantly in fixing a bond between the fans and the players at the SW6 that was severely damaged over the course of last season.
