Chelsea are reportedly interested in a winter swoop for Borussia Monchengladbach and France forward Marcus Thuram, who will be a free agent in the summer.
Chelsea are reportedly looking into the potential January signing of Borussia Monchengladbach’s soon-to-be free-agent forward Marcus Thuram. That’s according to journalist Simon Phillips (via Si & Dan Talk Chelsea), who says the Blues have kept the World Cup finalist on the list of attackers they might move for in the next days of the current transfer window following Armando Broja’s long-term injury.
The 25-year-old is one of the most in-demand stars of the January window, as his current deal with the Bundesliga outfit is set to expire next summer, and he has already confirmed to his club Borussia Monchengladbach that he will not be signing a new contract.
The France international, who is the eldest son of France legend Lilian, has had a fine goal-scoring season with Die Fohlen, registering 13 goals and four assists from just 17 appearances across all competitions. He was also influential at the World Cup, with an assist in the final.
A towering versatility, strong physical centre-forward presence, and good hold-up play, it’s easy to see why so many top clubs are courting him now that he has shown the ability to find the back of the net on a regular basis and his advantageous contract rebel situation.
It is claimed that Monchengladbach would rather sell him for around €15 million this month than lose him on a free transfer in the summer. Inter were previously touted as front-runners to land the World Cup finalist, and more recently United have taken the lead to sign the highly-rated forward. Now, Chelsea have entered the race and are very keen to secure his signature.
Despite spending heavily over the summer transfer window, Chelsea are struggling to really get their season going under Graham Potter, who knows he needs to improve on a lack of depth in the Chelsea squad, and they are now reportedly interested in Thuram.
Armando Broja recently picked up an ACL injury, which is likely to rule him out for the rest of the season, leaving Potter with just one out-and-out centre forward at his disposal: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. To that end, the Blues have acted swiftly to swoop in David Datro Fofana from Molde.
However, at 20, he is certainly one for the future, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Chelsea continues to hunt for further attacking reinforcements. The 33-year-old Aubameyang has only found the net once in the Premier League for the Blues, so they have been crying out for other options.
Thuram is seen as attainable due to his cheap price tag in January and appears to be a risk-free solution as they would be getting an in-form attacker with a relatively low transfer fee involved.
He could be a fantastic signing for Potter with his ability to play multiple roles. He is capable of operating as a main striker or from the left-wing position. Aside from his undoubted attacking potency, he has also caught the eye with his tireless work rate. Chelsea will likely have some convincing work to do in order to persuade him to move to Stamford Bridge amid Man United, Bayern, and Inter Milan interest.