After delivering the biggest piece of silverware in club football just five months since taking over Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel is heading into his first transfer window at the London club.
According to a report by Portuguese news outlet A Bola, Chelsea boss has asked the board to sign Julian Weigl – the German central midfielder who first rose to prominence under him at Borussia Dortmund.
Weigl was among the first signings of Tuchel at Dortmund. The German – who usually plays as a defensive midfielder – was signed from his boyhood club 1860 Munich and would go on to play over 170 matches for Dortmund. He left the club midway through the 2019/20 season to sign for Benfica in Portugal and has since made 60 appearances for them.
The report claims that although Tuchel has asked for Weigl, he is not Chelsea’s first-choice target in that position. Instead, the club retains its interest in Declan Rice, whom they courted last summer as well. Nonetheless, Weigl is among the alternatives should a move for the English international not materialize, along with Eduardo Camavinga of Rennes and Aurelien Tchouameni of AS Monaco. Weigl, meanwhile, is expected to cost Chelsea around 20 million euros, as compared to Rice whose eventual transfer fee could be five times as much.
The report also states that Chelsea are looking at Bayern Munich’s Niklas Sule as an option to bolster their defence. Former Bayern star Jerome Boateng is also considered an option on a free transfer after the German’s departure. Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku are the two players the club is considering for their faltering attack. Chelsea are expected to let several players leave too. Fikayo Tomori and Olivier Giroud are expected to join AC Milan this summer while Tammy Abraham has been consistently linked with an exit, as well.
