Chelsea are now looking to sign an "outstanding" experienced centre-back who's won 11 trophies, having struggled defensively at times this season.
Blues fall to ninth after Sunderland setback
Enzo Maresca has been forced to contend with a number of injury problems already this season, with the manager particularly light on options in defence, given the absence of Levi Colwill and Benoit Badiashile, who are both set to be out for quite some time.
Colwill is a long-term absentee, having suffered an ACL injury in the summer, while Maresca has confirmed Badiashile won't be back for another couple of months, saying: "Benoit will be out until December. He is injured again with a muscle problem. He was doing fantastic, showing how good he is, and we will wait for him."
That said, the manager is still likely to be concerned by just how susceptible his team have been to conceding chances, with Nottingham Forest missing four big opportunities and hitting the woodwork last weekend.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca reacts
The Blues got away with it against Forest, but Sunderland made them pay on Saturday, with the Black Cats emerging as 2-1 winners at Stamford Bridge, which means the hosts have fallen to ninth in the Premier League table.
As such, Maresca may need to bolster his backline if Chelsea are to transform into title contenders, and they are now looking to sign Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano, who is facing an uncertain future at the Allianz Arena.
That is according to a report from CF Bayern, which states the west Londoners want to sign Upamecano in 2026, at which point his contract with the German club will have expired, having been unable to agree a new deal.
With the Blues potentially looking to offload 'bomb squad' member Axel Disasi, a new centre-back could be brought in to replace him, and the Bayern defender has been identified as a target, although there could be competition from Real Madrid.
"Outstanding" Upamecano could be exactly what Maresca needs
Jamie Carragher has made it clear just how much he disagrees with BlueCo's recruitment policy of signing young players, saying: "Chelsea should be title contenders and considered Champions League challengers this season. Instead, their hierarchy seems content to be praised for being the smartest recruiters in the business - the world’s richest development club."
In fairness, while Chelsea did win the Club World Cup in the summer, the model is yet to translate to success in the Premier League, and more experienced players are arguably needed if they are to become title contenders.
As such, the "outstanding" France international, as lauded by Joshua Kimmich, could be exactly what they need, given that he is experienced at the top level, winning 11 major trophies throughout his career, and the 27-year-old's passing ability indicates he could be an ideal fit in a Maresca system.
Statistic Average per 90 (past year)
Passes attempted 89.32 (99th percentile)
Pass completion % 93.4% (96th percentile)
Progressive passes 6.39 (95th percentile)
The £168k-a-week star's potential availability on a free transfer is an added bonus for Chelsea, who clearly need greater strength in depth at the back, given that 19-year-old Josh Acheampong has emerged as a regular starter.