Chelsea Had €85 Million Bid For 'Ballon d'Or Level' Star Rejected

Thomas Tuchel attempted to sign a 'Ballon d'Or level' centre back in the summer, but found Chelsea's €85 million offer rejected instantly.

Tuchel attempted to sign a centre back in the summer, in order to boost the Blues attempts to beat Manchester City and Liverpool to the title.

The club tried hard to sign Jules Kounde from Sevilla, who may have played his final game for the club if Premier League clubs come back for him in January, but couldn't get a move done.

With Kurt Zouma having left for West Ham, Chelsea were in need of another centre back but didn't sign anyone, though it wasn't for the want of trying.

According to L'Equipe, Tuchel attempted to sign Marquinhos from Paris Saint-Germain, offering over £72 million to get his man, but the French club rejected it out of hand.

Marquinhos was wanted by PSG. Image: PA Images

Tuchel worked with the Brazilian during their time in the French capital and clearly wanted to work with the player he'd said was 'Ballon d'Or level' once again.

As well as working alongside the defender himself, signing Marquinhos would have seen the 27-year-old be reunited with Thiago Silva.

The two countrymen formed a solid partnership during their time at the Parc des Princes together and Silva has continued to be excellent in west London.

Chelsea's back five has allowed him to shine, alongside the likes of Antonio Rudiger, who could leave in the summer, Andreas Christiansen and Trevor Chalobah.

Silva and Marquinhos also play together for the national team. Image: PA Images

Marquinhos also has the ability to play in midfield, which might have come in handy for Tuchel and his team at the moment, with their current issues.

The former Borussia Dortmund boss, who was actually sacked by PSG on Christmas Eve last year, showing how far he's come in a year, played N'Golo Kante on the weekend, despite the French midfielder only just coming back from injury.

The Blues wanted their game with Wolves to be postponed due to Covid-19 cases at the club and they were nearly forced to play under 23s player Lewis Baker for the first time in nearly eight years, but he now also has Covid.

With the January transfer window just around the corner, and the €85 million still burning a hole in the transfer budget, could Tuchel try for another centre back?

Topics: Transfers, Chelsea, Premier League, Paris Saint-Germain, Ligue 1, Thomas Tuchel

Ryan Sidle

Ryan is a journalist for SPORTbible with over eight years of experience. Passionate about all sports, he mainly covers football and F1 - Daniel Ricciardo once spent an entire interview referring to him as 'Ryan Gosling,' still his proudest moment.

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