It is already looking like a busy summer for Chelsea who missed out on any kind of European football and now have to contend with a bloated squad that has too many players deemed not good enough. Despite that, they are in the market for a central defender with feelers already going out for one big name free agent with the hopes he can immediately slot into their starting lineup.
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Chelsea Make Enquiries for Top Free Agent
Making Checks
The Athletic dropped a heap of transfer rumours about the Blues in their most recent deal sheet, one nugget being that the team have reached out over Ibrahima Konate. The former Liverpool man is available on a free transfer after running down his contract with the former champions.
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At 27-years-old and already a Premier League winner, the Frenchman would mark a slight departure from the majority of signings under the Clearlake regime, being a ready-made option as opposed to a potential talent. The report does not that it was a gentle enquiry, meaning any talks would have been preliminary but the ambition is a marked improvement over last summer.
Potential Role
Elsewhere in the DealSheet from The Athletic, it mentions that the lack of European football means the side are only looking for two additions. One being a central defender and another an attacker, both signings are made with the idea that they will be “…able to go straight into the first XI.”
Someone of Konate’s experience and ability would fit the bill of a read-made starter, having racked up 183 appearances for Liverpool and winning a league title as well as a number of domestic cups. With Xabi Alonso aiming to improve the current ceiling, the French defender would be an excellent addition who could bring leadership and winning mentality to a squad that has fallen apart at the seams under pressure previously.
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