Chelsea are considering a bid for Monaco star Aurelien Tchouameni this month, 90 minutes to go.
The 21-year-old has been hugely impressive for the principality since she arrived from Bordeaux in 2020.
Monaco paid just over £ 15 million for the young midfielder and they are ready to listen to offers, but they want about double what they originally paid if they were to approve a deal in this window.
A number of clubs from all over Europe have been in contact with Monaco, but it is Chelsea who have had the most advanced talks, including how they intend to structure all business.
Chelsea are also considering completing a permanent deal now and then allowing Tchouameni to stay at Stade Louis II until next summer. The Blues have been in contact with the player’s camp to assess their views on such an arrangement, and they were open to the idea that Tchouameni would remain in Monaco on loan for another season.
The European champions are keen not to miss Tchouameni and know that if they do not lock him in this window, they risk losing him to one of their competitors. They made a similar deal when they landed Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund and completed a deal in January 2019 before the summer window when their transfer ban became active.
Head coach Thomas Tuchel would like to sign Tchouameni, but has backed the hierarchy’s position that it may be better for him to stay in Monaco until 2022 depending on the exit at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are currently working on freeing up space in Tuchel’s squad. Those like David Zappacosta, Malang Sarr, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Ross Barkley, Ike Ugbo, Baba Rahman, Lewis Baker and Ethan Ampadu are currently in talks about potential loan transfers.
