CHELSEA’S urgent need for a new centre-back has reportedly led them to Atletico Madrid star Jose Gimenez.
Declan Rice and Kalidou Koulibaly have also been linked with the Blues following their poor defensive displays this season.
Jose Gimenez has become a regular in Madrid since arriving from Danubio in 2013
Only seven Premier League teams have let in more goals than Chelsea this campaign, hampering their bid for a top-four finish.
According to the Telegraph, club scouts have taken a look at Uruguay international Gimenez during his starring spell since the restart.
The 25-year-old was a regular in Diego Simeone’s team as they comfortably secured Champions League football after a rocky start to the season.
Frank Lampard is said to see Gimenez as a positive solution with his height and aerial ability a key factor.
Koulibaly appears to be heading to Manchester City and Rice, who SunSport revealed is on the boss’ wish list as a conversion from midfield, will be slapped with a huge price tag by West Ham.
It is reported that Nathan Ake is another target from Bournemouth with his buy-back clause said to stand at £40m for the West London club.
That will be far lower than what Atletico will accept for Gimenez, with a £109m release clause on the defender’s back.
However, Chelsea reportedly hope to negotiate that down thanks to their cordial relationship with the Spanish side.
A point is needed against Wolves to finish in the top-four after a heavy 5-3 defeat to Liverpool on Wednesday night.
Lampard was keen to look past the defensive issues at the heart of the defeat and maintain a positive atmosphere ahead of Sunday’s Stamford Bridge showdown.
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The 42-year-old said: “I don’t want to dwell on how many goals we have conceded, I want to concentrate on where we are at.
“We have a game to go and we want to win that game to get in the top four. Do we want to improve in terms of how we defend? Of course we want to improve.
“That is part of the process but now let’s be very positive about the game that is in front of us.”
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By: Marc Mayo
Title: Chelsea scout Jose Gimenez with Lampard eyeing transfer for Atletico Madrid defender to bolster leaky defence
Sourced From: www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/12207857/chelsea-jose-gimenez-transfer-atletico/
Published Date: Thu, 23 Jul 2020 17:52:56 +0000
