Reports: Mauricio Pochettino to reunite with PSG midfielder at Chelsea
Chelsea could make a move for Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Leandro Paredes this summer, which could see Mauricio Pochettino reunite with his compatriot.
That’s according to ESPN Argentina, who claim the Blues have already made contact with the French champions for the 28-year-old’s signature.
Paredes joined PSG in 2019 from Zenit and has established himself as a deep-lying midfield metronome. He spent this season on loan at Juventus, completing 33 appearances in total and snaring a solitary goal.
“I live my life and my career day by day. I like being here, I’m happy, I hope I can stay,” he said earlier in May, when asked about a new deal.
Now, with Juventus seeing their points docked and as a result, failing to qualify for the Champions League, Paredes will head back to Paris and then weigh his options. He only managed eight starts in the Serie A this season, and the Old Lady have decided not to turn his transfer into a permanent one.
As per the reports, Chelsea have acted quickly to bolster their midfield options with the likes of Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek set to leave. The Blues are set to oversee a massive squad overhaul that could lead to several departures.
Pochettino, the 4-2-3-1 virtuoso, could play Paredes or N’Golo Kante alongside Enzo Fernandez in a double pivot, granting Chelsea the option of dictating the midfield with short, crisp passing from the duo.
Paredes’ average positions on the field would enable the likes of Kante and Enzo to maraud forward and move up the field to play passes into the final third.
A player with his quality and footballing IQ wouldn’t go unnoticed by any means. Atletico Madrid and Galatasaray have emerged as potential suitors alongside Chelsea.
As far as the Blues are concerned, midfield reinforcements are a must if they are planning to offload Kovacic, after Jorginho already moved across the capital to Arsenal. N’Golo Kante’s injury record of late doesn’t make for happy reading, and hence, a defensive midfielder is a priority.
Whether they would give the nod to a pass master like Paredes or a more defensive-minded, third center-back category of a midfielder is going to hold the key to the team’s fortunes in the Premier League next season.
Chelsea ended the season 1-1 against Newcastle United, finishing 12th with merely 44 points collected.
-Roy Akarshak
Twitter: @RoyAkarshak
Photo: Vyacheslav Yevdokimov. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.