Footie Central | Football Blog Blogging the football world
Chelsea are considering a move for Lens right-back Jonathan Clauss as Thomas Tuchel begins the rebuild of his defence.
With both César Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso both linked with moves away from the club, full-back is an area where Chelsea need strengthening.
Clauss was named in the Ligue 1 Team of the Season, scoring five goals and providing 11 assists during the campaign, but Lens are prepared to let him go if their £8.5 million valuation of the player is met.
That is because Clauss is about to enter the final year of his contract, and has given no indication that he is prepared to sign an extension.
He has also attracted interest from Atlético Madrid and Marseille, so they will not have a free hand when it comes to a player who may provide competition to Reece James.
Chelsea, though, may have an advantage because Clauss identifies himself as a fan of the Premier League club since he was a boy.
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.