Chelsea are reportedly interested in and eyeing a summer move for £34.5 million rated Athletico Paranaense midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.
The Daily Mail have claimed that Chelsea are laying groundwork in their pursuit of Bruno Guimaraes. The Brazilian midfielder, who currently plies his trade for Brazilian outfit Athletico Paranaense, is on the radar of the Blues, who are plotting a summer move for the star.
Bruno Guimaraes will be available for his release clause, which stands at £34.5 million, and has a Spanish passport, which will ease the work permit issues. The report states that Chelsea’s move hinges completely on whether they are able to escape or delay the transfer ban imposed on them.
The 21-year-old joined Athletico Paranaense in 2017 and became an instant hit at the Brazilian club. His 2019 Libertadores campaign though, is what has brought him further into the limelight. In 3 matches so far, Guimaraes has recorded a goal and 2 assists, which is even more commendable considering that the star plies his trade as a holding midfielder.
Guimaraes is also adept at playing as a centre-back, which is an added attribute that could come in handy for Chelsea. The Blues currently have midfield issues to deal with. N’Golo Kante and Jorginho have not been at their best, with the latter being figured out by the opposition now.
Jorginho being constantly marked has become a problem for Chelsea, especially with Maurizio Sarri insistent on sticking to his ‘Sarri-ball’ philosophy. The other problem is that the likes of Ross Barkley, Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek have not managed to impress enough to warrant a regular place in the midfield three.
Thus, a new central midfielder is needed. Guimaraes can offer another outlet to Jorginho, which would help Chelsea continue with their footballing philosophy even if the opposition marks Jorginho. Another attribute that might come in handy is Guimaraes and his ability to score and create goals, especially with the lack of creativity on the pitch from Chelsea stars.
As mentioned earlier, the move is dependent on whether Chelsea are actually ‘allowed’ to sign players in the summer transfer window. Guimaraes has been tipped to be on the fringe of being called-up to the Brazilian National Team and could do with a move to Europe, which would attract more eyes on him and his performances.
Chelsea are known to bring players in from Brazil and it will be interesting to see if they can add some more Samba flavour to their squad this summer.