Chelsea labelled ‘main buyers’ for 21-year-old Ligue 1 starlet after Juventus withdrawal

Transfer News: Chelsea frontrunners to sign AS Monaco star Aurelien Tchouameni after Juventus pull out of race

According to transfer news on Calciomercato (h/t The Express), Chelsea have been labelled as the ‘main buyers’ to sign Aurelien Tchouameni from AS Monaco after Juventus pulled out of the race.

The 21-year-old has come into the limelight since shining for Niko Kovac at Monaco last season. His performances in midfield ensured a Top 3 spot for Monaco in Ligue 1. He has continued his good form this term, scoring 2 goals in 22 games.

Juventus were interested in signing him initially, but they have apparently pulled out of the race. The Serie A giants instead want to use their transfer budget to sign Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina. Regardless, this is good news for the Blues, who have been labelled as ‘major buyers’ for the French international, alongside Rea Madrid.

However, the financial issues of Los Blancos puts Chelsea in a great position to convince the youngster to make the switch to London. 

Priority signing

Although the signing of Tchouameni may look like a luxury as of now, it could turn into a necessity at the end of the season. Jorginho and N’Golo Kante will both be 30 by next year. Moreover, both of them shall enter the final year of their contracts next summer. 

Additionally, there is no guarantee that the Blues will sign Saul Niguez on a permanent basis. His performances so far have not injected any sort of motivation for the club to take that step. Thus, we could have nearly three midfielders out of the club in the next two years.

Billy Gilmour and Conor Gallagher shall return from his loan move next summer but they too might need time before they can start playing at the top level week in, week out. In such a scenario, signing Tchouameni would set us up well for the future. An established international already, the Frenchman has played with some of the biggest stars in world football.

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His mentality is right up there with the top midfielders in his side and he appears a confident figure on the ball. It might be time for last season’s Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year to take the next step, and Chelsea can certainly provide him with the platform to do so.

After all, the best teams in the world don’t stand still. Refreshing the squad every now and then and future-proofing key areas is an important step for any club that wants to establish a footballing dynasty in their era.