Chelsea are yet to submit an official bid for Kasper Schmeichel amid speculations linking him to a move to West-London.
According to Leicester City manager Claude Puel, Chelsea haven’t yet submitted any bid for Kasper Schmeichel. The highly-rated goalkeeper was earmarked as one of the favourites to replace the departing Thibaut Courtois this summer but the Blues are yet to make any advances.
As ESPN understands, Puel told Sky Sports that there have been no offers for Schmeichel at this point in time. “No, there is no problem with this. There is a lot of speculation at this moment, it is normal,” said the Frenchman.
He also reiterated that the Foxes are keen to keep hold of their prized asset, stating: “I am not troubled about this,” Puel added. “Of course Kasper is a very important player for us. He had a very strong World Cup. We need Kasper, with his character, his performance and his consistency.”
A few days ago, however, it seemed as if Schmeichel was destined for a move to Chelsea this summer. And Leicester’s recent purchase of Liverpool’s Danny Ward further intensified speculations regarding his move to Stamford Bridge.
Having said that, Puel has confirmed that Ward has been signed in order to bring more competition in the goalkeeping department, especially after the departure of Ben Hamer to Huddersfield.
As for Chelsea, this could mean that the Blues have identified AC Milan starlet Gianluigi Donnarumma as their desired replacement for Courtois. It was reported last week that the West London giants have shortlisted the goalkeeping duo of Schmeichel and Donnarumma as potential successors for the departing Belgian international.
In fact, The Sun claimed that they were plotting a bid for the 19-year-old although no further reports regarding this rumour have been published yet. But, from a pure sporting perspective, overlooking Kasper Schmeichel could prove to be a huge mistake given the fact that the Danish international has been one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the past few seasons.
Unlike Donnarumma, Schmeichel is an experienced individual who has enjoyed a decorated career although a chunk of it was spent playing in the second division or lower leagues. The 31-year-old showcased his true qualities in the recently concluded 2018 FIFA World Cup, especially in the Round of 16 clash against Croatia.
After initially saving Luka Modric’s penalty in the final embers of the extra time, the former Man City keeper made a few more saves in the penalty shootout even though Denmark ended up as the losing side, largely thanks to Danijel Subasic’s brilliance in the corresponding shootout.
Even though he might not be as talented as AC Milan’s Donnarumma, what makes him such an appealing target for Chelsea is the fact that Schmeichel has a lot of experience in the English top flight, which will certainly help him become an ideal successor to Courtois in the upcoming season.
However, as mentioned earlier, Chelsea are yet to make a move for the pursuit of the Danish international. Thus, it remains to be seen if the Blues reignite their interest in Schmeichel before the summer transfer window shuts down next month.