Needing a defensive reinforcement for next season, Chelsea have reportedly been looking all over the transfer market for one.
Yet this hunt could come across as foolish to those aware to the fact the London club have one ready made at the club in Andreas Christensen.
Unfortunately for Antonio Conte and co., the young Dane isn’t available to them until 2017 at the earliest as José Mourinho had the ingenious idea of sending him on a two-year loan to Borussia Mönchengladbach last season.
Voted by the fans as the club’s Player of the Season last year, the 20-year-old impressed massively when given responsibilities, to such an extent the German club are prepared to break their transfer record for the youngster.
Speaking to SportBILD, Max Eberl, the club’s director of sport, said: “We only spend the money we make, which we have done, but in the case of Chirstensen, we are ready to make a record transfer. We know that a player of his quality will not be cheap.”
Currently standing at €15m (£11.5m), the club’s transfer record could easily be surpassed if Gladbach do meet Chelsea’s valuation of the player, which would probably be upwards of €20m (£15.4m).
The director of sport also made it clear there is no clause in the loan deal, which was rumoured to be €20m, meaning Chelsea can literally ask for any fee if they so wish.
As for the player himself, he isn’t in a rush to return to Chelsea anytime soon, even if a move back to England wouldn’t be the end of the world: “I feel well at Borussia. This applies to Chelsea as well.”
