Claude Makelele has admitted to helping Real Madrid sign former Chelsea target Aurelien Tchouameni. The 22-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in the summer but, due to the Blues' reluctancy to wrap up a deal, the Spanish giants swooped in and signed the midfielder instead.
The west Londoners have been left to rue the decision not to sign the France international, with N'Golo Kante and Jorginho set to leave the club once their deals expire at the end of the season. Chelsea held an interest in Tchouameni ever since he began his career at Bordeaux, football.london understands.
At one stage, the Blues even had an edge in the race to sign the Frenchman. But, as Roman Abramovich handed over the reins to Todd Boehly's consortium, a £85million move collapsed.
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And, it turns out that Makelele provided Real Madrid with additional information to sign Tchouameni. Speaking to AS, the former Chelsea midfielder said: "When Tchouameni was about to sign for Real, I spoke with Florentino and he wanted to know more about him.
"Chelsea were also interested but if Madrid love you, you should go because it’s the best way to be at your best."
After missing out on Tchouameni, the west Londoners have been heavily linked with moves for Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham. The 19-year-old has been subject to long-term interest from the Blues, football.london understands.
Chelsea watched Bellingham during his time as an academy player at Birmingham City, but after failing to act on their interest, the German giants swooped in and signed the teenager instead. Signing the England international could be easier than first thought now, with Borussia Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke admitting that the player can leave in the summer if he wishes.
As quoted by ESPN, Watzke claimed that the German side can not compete with the wages being offered by other top-flight European sides. He said: "We will hold talks now, as soon as [the World Cup in] Qatar is over, and then we'll have a fundamental talk about what he would like.
"He just needs to tell us if he'd like to stay or if he'd like to go. In both cases, we'll talk about it very pleasantly and reasonably together.
"In general, we can imagine that he'd stay with us, but we can't behave as if this topic wasn't on the table. If he says, 'I'd like to do something else,' then the really big [clubs] in Europe will be there, and we can't afford to fight financially."
As Graham Potter looks to stamp his style on the Blues side, he'll be keen to finally welcome a new midfielder to the club this summer.
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