Chelsea’s mission to bolster Thomas Tuchel’s midfield options in the upcoming transfer window could already be scuppered. The west Londoners have been heavily linked with Aurélien Tchouameni and Declan Rice this season, although Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid look set to beat the Blues to the duo.
The 22-year-old was on Chelsea's transfer shopping list in the summer but the board opted against signing him because they felt the Monaco midfielder could have done with another 12 months of development, as per The Athletic. Football.london understands that Tuchel's side have spent more time watching the France international than any other club.
Meanwhile, the Blues boss has confessed that he's a big fan of Declan Rice. West Ham are determined to retain the services of the 23-year-old this summer, but have conceded that they will eventually have to sell the England international in the near future, add The Athletic.
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However, PSG and Real Madrid's plans look set to usher Chelsea into a decision. The French outfit have attempted to sign Tchouameni, but Real Madrid remain the best positioned side to secure the £42m-rated man, claim Spanish outlet Diario AS.
Manchester City have no interest in signing Rice this summer, according to BBC journalist Mick Minay. Pep Guardiola's side were previously linked with the midfielder, though reports have surfaced extinguishing the prospect.
The domino effect of transfer decisions around Europe have seemingly cornered Chelsea into an all or nothing verdict - Rice or no one. With sanctions still in place at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea must wait until the takeover has been completed before flexing their financial muscles in the transfer market.
In the meantime, Tuchel has lauded the West Ham midfielder. The German spoke earlier in the season about Rice being a "Chelsea boy" given he earned the first of his stripes in the club's academy. And, ahead of the Hammers' visit to Stamford Bridge on Sunday, he was asked how he rated the midfielder.
“Very highly," Tuchel replied, during his pre-match media duties. "He seems to be a very nice guy from what everybody tells me and is from the Chelsea academy and he proves this [his quality]. That’s the most important thing. It feels like he plays every single game.
“He is available, is captain, plays with a lot of responsibility, is a physical player, very strategic-minded player, a key player for his team, and is strong at set-pieces. This is not a surprise. Everybody sees this. He is a huge part of the success of West Ham and it is impressive.”
