Premier League heavyweights Chelsea are reportedly in discussions with PSG over a move for 26-year-old French defender Presnel Kimpembe.
According to a report by The Athletic, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain seem to have opened talks over a possible move for Presnel Kimpembe in the summer transfer window. The reigning Ligue 1 champions are open to sanctioning a transfer of the 26-year-old if the Blues meet their valuation of the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner.
Presnel Kimpembe started his youth career with AS Éragny but spent most of his formative years with Paris Saint-Germain. The French defender joined Les Parisiens as a ten-year-old in 2005 before rapidly progressing through their academy. He made his first-team debut in October 2014 and has come leaps and bounds since then.
The 26-year-old has turned out 220 times for PSG thus far, chipping in with three goals and two assists. But Kimpembe faces an uncertain future at Parc des Princes amid PSG’s pursuit of Milan Skriniar. And the Ligue 1 champions are reportedly ready to offload the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner if they sign the Inter Milan defender, which has ignited Chelsea’s interest.
The interest in Kimpembe first cropped up when Antonio Rudiger was inching closer to leaving Chelsea as a free agent. Since then, the German international has departed from Stamford Bridge, leaving Thomas Tuchel short of quality central defensive options ahead of the 2022/23 season, especially with Andreas Christensen also exiting this summer.
Rudiger and Christensen’s departures have left the Chelsea manager with Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah, and Malang Sarr as the only recognised centre-backs at his disposal. And even though the Blues have reportedly reached an agreement to sign Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli, Tuchel has asked for two more central defenders.
One such centre-back will be Nathan Ake, with Chelsea reportedly agreeing to personal terms with the Manchester City defender. But Ake will arrive at Stamford Bridge as a versatile solution on the left-hand side of the Chelsea defence. Kimpembe is thus a viable target for Chelsea, with the 26-year-old being a solid replacement for Rudiger.
Chelsea and the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner are reportedly in touch. And the west Londoners have now initiated talks with PSG for Kimpembe, with the Ligue 1 champions open to sanctioning his sale if the Blues meet their valuation. With Chelsea yet to shell out the required sum, discussions will continue in the coming days.
Chelsea recently stopped pursuing Matthijs de Ligt and Jules Kounde, meaning Kimpembe might be their last recognised target before they return to the drawing board. So it will be interesting to see if talks yield the desired result for Chelsea, landing them the 26-year-old World Cup winner this summer.
