Tuchel earmarks 22-year-old Bundesliga star as top Chelsea target for the summer

Tuchel makes Dayot Upamecano his top target for Chelsea in the summer

According to claims from German outlet Bild (h/t Daily Star), Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has made RB Leipzig centre-back Dayot Upamecano a top transfer priority heading into the upcoming window. 

As per the report, Blues owner Roman Abramovich is willing to fund a deal to bring Upamecano to Stamford Bridge. The 22-year-old, who is widely regarded as one of the best young centre-backs across the continent, has a release clause of £37million in his contract. 

Chelsea are expected to face competition from Liverpool and Bayern Munich in their pursuit of the France U-21 starlet. However, it is understood that Upamecano would favour a move to the Premier League over joining another club in the Bundesliga. (Bild h/t Daily Star)

Upamecano started his career with Red Bull Salzburg before moving to sister club Leipzig in January 2017. He has gone from strength to strength over the past few years, playing 139 times for the German outfit in all competitions. The centre-back was instrumental as Leipzig reached the semi-finals of the Champions League last season.

Chelsea’s pursuit of a new central defender has been well-documented since the appointment of Tuchel at the helm. The Blues have been heavily linked with David Alaba, who is set to become a free agent following the end of his contract with Bayern Munich next summer.

However, the Austrian’s mammoth wage demands has forced Chelsea to explore other avenues to strengthen their backline. While Upamecano’s name has come up time and again, Niklas Sule and Ibrahima Konate are also understood to be under consideration at Stamford Bridge.

While Chelsea don’t need too many signings at the back next summer, the Blues certainly need the right signings to ensure long-term stability. It was recently reported that Thiago Silva is keen to extend his stay for another season but he’s nearing the end of his career at 36. 

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With Andreas Christensen also set to enter the last 12 months of his contract, the inclusion of Upamecano would certainly hand a massive boost to Tuchel’s plans.