Chelsea to target solid Atletico star to bolster Tuchel’s backline

Chelsea to target Jose Maria Gimenez in the summer

According to The Athletic, Chelsea are set to target Jose Maria Gimenez from Atletico Madrid this summer. The Uruguayan is among a three-man wishlist that also includes Niklas Sule of Bayern Munich and Ibrahima Konate of RB Leipzig.

Chelsea don’t necessarily need another central defender right now. The club already have a strong contingent from which Thomas Tuchel has used the likes of Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta.

Kurt Zouma has had to wait for his chances while Fikayo Tomori was allowed to leave for AC Milan on loan.

While Silva has had a great impact since arriving last summer, he will be 37 years old by the time the next season rolls on. Even Cesar Azpilicueta will need replacing at some point due to his age. That makes a good case for adding another solid centre-back to the side.

It’s not hard to see why Gimenez is among the names being considered by Chelsea. He is one of Diego Simeone’s trusted lieutenants, who plays a big part in their highly astute defensive structure. A no-nonsense defender, Gimenez is not someone who shies away from challenges.

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However, prising away the defender will not be any easy given how important he is for Atleti. Chelsea might just need to shell out the big bucks if they are to change Simeone’s mind. On the up, Gimenez could be a good fit for Chelsea and bring some leadership into the backline.