According to Bild journalist Christian Falk, Chelsea are interested in signing Manchester United target Jonathan Tah as a possible successor to Thiago Silva.
The London giants have had another poor Premier League campaign and their defensive record has been concerning with 24 goals conceded in just 15 games. Chelsea are currently 10th in the league table and they are already 11 points behind Manchester City, who are occupying the final Champions League position.
Ahead of January, the club could be contemplating changes and it won’t be a surprise if they sign another centre-back. As per Falk, Tah is an option for the Blues and he has a release clause in his contract which expires in the summer of 2025. The defender has a new agent in Pini Zahavi ahead of the New Year.
Top-class defender
Tah has been instrumental in Leverkusen’s dominance at the top of the Bundesliga. The 27-year-old has started in 12 games in the German top-flight, keeping 4 clean sheets. He has been brilliant with his distribution, completing 65 passes per outing with a success rate of 95%. He has made 5.8 recoveries and 4.2 clearances per match.
With his strong presence, he has also won 76% of his aerial challenges. Tah would be a perfect candidate to succeed Silva, who is already 39 and could be playing his final season at Chelsea. The big question is whether the London club are prepared to change their transfer policy. They have signed players who are 25 or under since January.
The German could be available for a relatively low price with a release clause of just £16 million in his contract. Chelsea are likely to face fierce competition from Man United, who could look to replace Raphael Varane. The Frenchman has fallen out-of-favour for a number of weeks under manager Erik ten Hag and Tah could be considered as his direct replacement. With United’s financial issues, a deal for Tah could directly depend on Varane leaving United during the upcoming transfer window.
