Chelsea lead the race for 25-year-old La Liga star with £108m release clause

Chelsea keeping tabs on Atletico Madrid star Jose Gimenez

Speaking on the Here We Go Podcast (h/t The Sun), Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Chelsea are keen on making a move for Jose Gimenez.

The Atletico Madrid star is an excellent defender who is an integral part of Diego Simeone’s system. He is now being considered a key target to further reinforce Frank Lampard’s Blues.

Chelse’s capture of Thiago Silva, Edouard Mendy and Ben Chilwell have seen a turnaround in fortunes for the club at the back. This is in stark contrast to what was seen as a massive weakness going into this season.

Despite the progress made, Chelsea are keen to build for the future. At just 25, Gimenez is seen as a long-term option.

Silva is 36 and is nearing the end of his career. Despite his age, he has been a key cog in the Chelsea backline. However, he cannot play forever.

The club is also keen to extend the Brazilian’s contract after a near-flawless start to life at Stamford Bridge. The prospect of having him potentially mentor an incoming Gimenez is an intriguing thought.

A dream come true!

Gimenez’s performances have seen a number of European clubs sit up and take notice. According to the report, Chelsea appear to be leading the chase to land him.

The Uruguayan international is also a self-confessed fan of Chelsea. He admitted that he followed the Blues as a kid and that it would have been a dream come true to share the field with Lampard.

While appearing as teammates may not be on the agenda anymore, Gimenez could partly fulfil his dream by playing under the Chelsea legend.

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A sticking point could be Gimenez’s £108m release clause. While he is an excellent defender, the club will do well not to pay over the odds for his services.

Kurt Zouma and Silva have emerged as the club’s first-choice centre-backs this season. The likes of Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger and Fikayo Tomori combined have made just 10 appearances this season.

Whether this indicates at a potential overhaul of the defensive options remains to be seen.