Chelsea boss Tuchel keen on signing veteran German star he wanted while at PSG

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel keen on securing Bayern Munich star Jerome Boateng

According to German publication Bild (h/t Express), Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has his eyes on bringing Jerome Boateng to Stamford Bridge next summer.

In spite of loaning out Fikayo Tomori to AC Milan, Chelsea still have four senior centre-backs to choose from. Despite the numbers, Tuchel appears keen to bring about a defensive shakeup in his first full window as manager.

The Blues spent a whopping £250m last summer. One player they spent nothing on was Thiago Silva who was signed for free.

It would appear that the club is once again in the Bosman market for a defensive reinforcement. One player who could be available is Bayern Munich star Jerome Boateng.

The 32-year-old has spent close to a decade at Bayern and was part of a number of title-winning Bavarian sides. He also has Premier League experience having enjoyed a brief stay at Manchester City.

Bayern does not appear to be ready to offer Boateng a new contract. While he has regressed over the years, he remains a dependable defender who could still do a job.

Boateng is, however, not Chelsea’s top defensive target. The club is keen to turn to the Bundesliga and has earmarked RB Leipzig Dayot Upamecano as the top summer recruitment target.

The Blues are also keen on two other Bayern stars – Niklas Sule and David Alaba. All good defenders, Chelsea will do better to go for any of the three than Boateng.

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While Boateng could still do a job, he is far from the dominant player who held opposition attacks at bay. There are better options out there and the club will do well to focus on them instead.