Chelsea could land World Cup finalist for just £8 million

Chelsea face Crystal Palace on Sunday knowing defeat would see their opponents move level on points with them. 

Graham Potter’s side have won just one of their last 11 games across all competitions and currently sit in tenth place in the Premier League table, having been knocked out of both domestic cups already.

Their last defeat, a 2-1 loss to rivals Fulham on Thursday evening, marked another low point for Potter as new signing Joao Felix was shown a straight red card for a high tackle.

The Portuguese forward had impressed prior to the incident, but his dismissal means he will be unavailable for the visit of The Eagles on Sunday.

In the meantime, The Blues are believed to be pursuing a move for French striker Marcus Thuram, and the player could be available at a cut price.

According to CaughtOffside, Thuram could be available for as little as £8.8 million, with his Borussia Monchengladbach contract set to expire at the end of the season.

The 25-year-old has been in sensational form so far this term, scoring 13 goals and providing four assists in 17 games across all competitions.

Thuram could be available for less than £10 million

His contract is due to expire in June, though, and the Bundesliga side are therefore open to the prospect of selling him this month, to avoid losing him for free at the end of the season.

As Thuram has entered into the final six months of his deal, he is able to sign a pre-contract agreement with any foreign club, but it appears that Chelsea may choose to pay the nominal fee to land the Frenchman this month.

Since joining Monchengladbach from Guingamp in 2019, Thuram has scored 41 goals in 116 appearances for the German side.

His form earned him a place in the France squad for the World Cup in Qatar, and he provided two assists in five appearances at the tournament.

So far this term The Blues’ current strikers – Kai Havertz and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – have failed to impress, scoring just five Premier League goals combined.