Khephren Thuram is said to be on the list of Chelsea as they search desperately for a defensive midfielder to add to their squad.
The Blues have no out-and-out player in that position with N’Golo Kante being deployed slightly further upfield in recent seasons and as a result, Thuram has been added to the club’s shortlist for the summer window.
This is according to Rudy Galetti, who says that the Blues have joined the race for his signature which is in high demand.
Thuram has played 46 times for Nice this season, with 17 of those games coming from defensive midfield, while he has plied his trade a bit more often as a box-to-box midfielder.
Despite being just 22 years of age, Thuram – who is the brother of Borussia Monchengladbach player Marcus – their father being the famous French defender Lilian – has made 136 appearances for the French side, with his performances this season giving him that “future star” status.
Galetti says that Thuram is now on Chelsea’s midfield shortlist along with Romeo Lavia (Southampton), Manu Kone (Gladbach) and Adrien Rabiot (Juventus), all of whom have impressed for their sides this season.
Thuram is valued by Transfermarkt at €32million, but with him likely to attract heavy interest from across Europe, Nice would be silly not to demand a much higher fee for the player.
However, with Chelsea set to oversee a mass exodus of out-of-contract players and also ones that aren’t part of the club’s long-term plans this summer, don’t be surprised to see the Blues test the waters with a bid with their DM needs reaching a desperate stage.
Their lack of European action might hinder them in their chase for players this summer but with the prestige they hold as a club, you can never count them out.
