Chelsea ought to signal ‘very strong’ Euro 2024 star this summer season, says William Gallas | Soccer
William Gallas feels there is one particular ‘very solid’ player at Euro 2024 that Chelsea should look to sign in the summer transfer window.
The Blues, along with their Premier League rivals, are watching this summer’s tournament with intrigue as they plot moves for a number of international stars.
Gallas is keen to see his former side recruit a new central defender after veteran Thiago Silva ended his four-year stint at Stamford Bridge at the end of 2023-24.
Chelsea have a number of younger centre-backs but Gallas feels it is important for the west Londoners to have a ‘leader’ in the heart of the team’s defence.
Gallas has named Dayot Upamecano – in the France squad for Euro 2024 – as the ideal replacement for Silva if Chelsea can tempt Bayern Munich into a sale and it’s a move that could genuinely happen with the Blues actively monitoring him.
‘Chelsea need a centre-back to replace Thiago Silva,’ Gallas, who earned 84 caps for France between 2002 and 2010, told Gambling Zone.
‘Wesley Fofana is quality but he’s so injury prone and his big knee injury hampered his progress completely.
‘Right now, Chelsea’s defenders are all young and they lack a world-class defender, so that would be my priority in the summer.
‘I haven’t really thought about it [but] Dayot Upamecano is good and has been very solid for France at the Euros so maybe he could be a good option.
‘They need a defender who can read the game and can be a leader, because when you have experience you’ve played so many games and know how to control a match and different situations.
How much would Dayot Upamecano cost?
Bayern officials deem Dayot Upamecano surplus to requirements, according to German outlet Bild, with the Frenchman guilty of making a string of high-profile blunders across the club’s trophyless 2023-24 campaign.
Upamecano’s current deal in Munich runs through to the summer of 2026 and it’s believed Bayern would demand a fee in excess of £40m for the defender from potential suitors.
‘If they are young, they have a different profile and with the players they have, they need a leader who can drive them and who can teach them.’
Upamecano joined Bayern Munich from fellow Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in 2021 and he has made 114 appearances for them to date.
The 25-year-old, who has twice been named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season, is currently under contract until June 2026.
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