Report: Chelsea eye up £164k-a-week defender Lebeouf warns makes a lot of mistakes, Tuchel knows him well

Chelsea are reportedly eyeing up Paris Saint-Germain defender Presnel Kimpembe as a potential target for the summer transfer window.

Goal claims the Blues are drawing up a transfer shortlist behind the scenes of centre-backs they will focus on trying to get ahead of next season. Of course, they’ll need the club’s takeover to be completed and for imposed sanctions to be lifted before they can actually reach out to players, agents and clubs.

The report names PSG’s Kimpembe as someone in Chelsea’s sights.

With Antonio Rudiger’s Stamford Bridge exit confirmed for the summer, the Blues need to think about bringing in top quality replacements.

Kimpembe, 26, is a left-footed centre-back that could slot into the position Rudiger dominates so well on the left of Chelsea’s back three.

The £164,000-a-week defender is a serial winner at club level with PSG, as well as being a France international with 26 senior caps.

Interestingly, ex-Chelsea player Frank Lebouef delivered a mixed verdict on Kimpembe when discussing him last year. He feels he’s a great player most of the time, but warned he’s got one big mistake in him almost every match:

“You have to trust yourself. The qualities that allowed him to get to this level are still there. There have been some really bad mistakes, but the penalty against Leipzig was just an error of inexperience. He’s lucky to have Marquinhos next to him, and he should watch and learn. I’ve been lucky enough to play with great centre-backs – Marcel Desailly in particular. It’s important to observe how these players work,” Lebouef said.

“Presnel Kimpembe reminds me a bit of Carlos Mozer. He was an extraordinary defender but he made almost one mistake per game with OM. A big tackle, a big foul, a bad touch… But he was still an exceptional player. Presnel has to trust himself. Carlos Mozer remained unperturbed, and Presnel must do the same.”

The presence of Chelsea manager Tuchel will surely play a big role if the club are to step on the gas to try sign Kimpembe.

He knows him well after coaching him at PSG. In fact, the Frenchman made 80 appearances under Tuchel’s management.

Kimpembe sent a heartfelt message on Twitter to Tuchel when he departed PSG, too.

He was a teammate of “brilliant” Blues defender Thiago Silva in Paris, so he could help with the transition to the Premier League if he moves to England.

Let’s hope the takeover process is wrapped up soon to allow for transfer talk to ramp up.

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A sports journalist who graduated from Staffordshire University in 2016 and is a Chelsea supporter. Loves anything football or cricket related when it comes to England.