European champions Chelsea had reportedly attempted to sign Paris Saint-Germain star Marquinhos during the summer transfer window.
Marquinhos, 27, signed from AS Roma back in 2013, has begun his ninth season at Paris Saint-Germain, who are currently leading the Ligue 1 charts following a perfect start to the new campaign. The Brazilian defender has made close to 330 appearances in all competitions for PSG, scoring 31 goals. He is currently the captain of the Parisian club.
According to French news outlet RMC Sport, Chelsea were readying an offer worth around €100m for Marquinhos, although the west London club’s approaches were turned down both by the Ligue 1 giants and the Brazilian international. But the 27-year-old defender may be having second thoughts after both the club’s contrasting starts to their Champions League campaigns.
The Blues broke their transfer record to bring Romelu Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge from Inter Milan, whilst signing Saul Niguez on a season-long loan from Atletico Madrid with a buy option in the summer. Thomas Tuchel seemingly wanted to add a centre-back to his ranks after selling Kurt Zouma to West Ham, but failing to do so could perhaps see him move for one in 2022.
With that said, Chelsea must reignite their interest in Marquinhos next summer.
Marquinhos to Chelsea—A perfect option for Thomas Tuchel’s side?
Chelsea boasts of the joint-best defensive record in the division, conceding just one goal in five games, which came from Mohamed Salah’s spot-kick in the 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield. The west Londoners’ rigid and resolute defending has seen them also remain unbeaten so far this season in all formats.
Old timer Thiago Silva is still going strong at the ripe age of 37 and scored in Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Tottenham at the weekend. Antonio Rudiger is playing some of the best football of his Stamford Bridge career while Cesar Azpilicueta continues to perform reliably.
Academy kid Trevoh Chalobah has been promoted to the senior squad this term, but with Kurt Zouma being sold in this past transfer window and Andreas Christensen having entered the final year of his contract, Tuchel must prioritise adding a central defender to his squad.
Also, Rudiger is in the final year of his contract and there haven’t been much progress in talks with the club. Chelsea’s success under Tuchel has been built on a solid defence and that is an area of the pitch the manager will not compromise on.
In that regard, Marquinhos would fit the bill perfectly at Stamford Bridge.
Marquinhos is a centre-back by trade but is equally adept at operating as a holding midfielder and doing the dirty job for his team. The 27-year-old is a technically sound defender, and excels at making crucial interceptions and reading the movement of the opposition attackers. He has a decent turn of pace and is aerially strong, whilst being an asset during set-pieces.
A leader and a fantastic organiser of the backline with volumes of experience at the highest level, the Brazilian international has the qualities to take Chelsea’s defence to the next level. Plus, Tuchel knows Marquinhos well having managed him at PSG, and such chemistry will potentially benefit the Blues if a move happens in the future.
Quality, experienced centre-backs don’t come cheap in the present-day transfer market, and thus, Chelsea must not hesitate to splash the cash on Marquinhos next summer.
