Chelsea’s summer transfer plans have suffered a blow after it emerged that one of their main defensive targets Jules Koundé requires surgery to fix a long standing problem.
The 23-year old started for France as they lost at home to Croatia in the Nations’ League on Monday, but had to be replaced at half-time by Benjamin Pavard.
And afterwards national team manager Didier Deschamps confirmed that the decision to substitute him was not tactical and that he will have a “surgical intervention” to resolve an issue from which he has been suffering some time.
Further details were not provided, but separate reports in France claim it is either hamstring or groin related.
That means that, even if Chelsea do decide to sign the defender, he may not be fit for the start of the new season.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.