Chelsea will not be able to sign Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah for a bargain fee next year.
Chelsea are reportedly interested in Jonathan Tah as they prepare for life after Thiago Silva, who is out of contract at the end of the season.
However, according to journalist Ben Jacobs, the 27-year-old will not be a bargain after a €20m release clause in his contract “expired”. Jacobs shared the update on Substack.
The journalist also claimed that Chelsea are just one Premier League club who have looked at Tah.
Chelsea can still sign Jonathan Tah
Release clause or no release clause, Chelsea could still find themselves in a good position to sign Tah at the end of the season.
The German’s contract expires in 2025, so Leverkusen could be forced to sell him in the summer and for a fair fee if he does not put pen to paper on a new contract by then.
It does not mean that Chelsea are definitely going to go out and land Tah. In fact, they may not even need him.
If Silva stays, there probably will not be a reason for the Blues to sign a new central defender. And even if he does not, Mauricio Pochettino should still have Axel Disasi, Benoit Badiashile, Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana for the centre-back positions.
Nevertheless, it does look like Chelsea want to bring another centre-half to Stamford Bridge, with Tah a candidate to come in.
He is enjoying a very good season with Leverkusen at the minute. Xabi Alonso’s side sit at the top of the Bundesliga table, four points ahead of champions Bayern Munich, and the Germany international has played in all but one of their games.
From Tah’s perspective, then, would he even fancy a move to Chelsea with the state the club are currently in? Maybe not.
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