Mauricio Pochettino, who is looking to completely transform Chelsea, has reportedly shown serious interest in Federico Valverde (Real Madrid) to strengthen his backline.
British internet soccer newspaper “90min” reported on Thursday (June 4) that “Pochettino has told Chelsea’s management that he wants to sign Valverde in the summer transfer market,” citing Spanish outlet “Defensa Central,” which mainly covers Real Madrid news.
Chelsea are said to be willing to pay €100 million ($141.9 million) for Valverde. The media outlet claims that the club could increase the total to €120 million ($170.3 million), including a weekly wage increase, to show their willingness to sign him. 꽁머니사이트
Valverde is a central midfielder, but he can also play on the right flank. For now, neither Valverde nor Real are looking to sell, but that could change depending on the situation. Real have added a lot of pressure at the back with the signing of Jude Bellingham.
With the likes of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos having extended their contracts, the general consensus is that a move for Valverde would do more harm than good. Neither Modric nor Kroos are in their mid-30s, and neither can keep up with Valverde in terms of mobility.
However, the longevity is hard to ignore. Valverde is a resource whose psychology plays a big part in his performance. Even at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, when he didn’t perform well against South Korea, he roared at Lee Kang-in (Mallorca) and other strange behaviors.
Another weakness is that when he’s not playing well, he doesn’t give the ball away properly, allowing opponents to use him as a counterattack. The same can be said for the Uruguayan national team, where he has been known to get himself in trouble.
Valverde made 29 league starts and five substitute appearances last season. The outlet added: ‘Pochettino has emphasized the need for an equivalent in the wake of Mason Mount’s departure to Manchester United. There is Declan Rice (West Ham United), but a move to Arsenal or Manchester United is more likely. We need to be realistic,” he said, weighing in on the possibility of signing Valverde.
However, Chelsea will not be competing in European club competitions next season. With four competitions to prepare for, it would be difficult for Real to let go of Valverde. The response is that a ‘super transfer’ is unlikely to happen unless Chelsea are actually willing to pay more than €120 million.