Pochettino handed boost as Tuchel now withdraws from race to sign £43m Chelsea target

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Chelsea have been handed a boost as Thomas Tuchel has now decided not to pursue a deal to sign Edson Alvarez for Bayern Munich.

A story from AS in Spain claims that Chelsea remain interested in signing the Mexico international this summer after coming close to securing his signature back in September.

It was thought that Mauricio Pochettino would face competition from Bayern Munich for the Ajax No.4’s services.

Now – however – Chelsea have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Edson Alvarez.

What’s the story?

Well – according to Florian Plettenburg – Bayern Munich will not be entering the race to sign Alvarez, who is valued at €50m (£43m), as Tuchel has other plans to strengthen his central midfield department.

The German side are obviously a European giant, and could have offered the 25-year-old the chance to play Champions League football next season, something Chelsea cannot.

That led many to believe that Tuchel was in a better position than Pochettino to sign Alvarez, but now, it seems that a major competitor for his signature has withdrawn, if Plettenburg of Sky Sports Germany is to be trusted.

Todd Boehly promised to bring Edson Alvarez to Chelsea

Interestingly, Todd Boehly promised to make another move for Alvarez after his move to west London collapsed in 2022.

Ben Jacobs of CBS Sports told The Football Terrace: “Chelsea have been jumping from target to target to target. Let’s not forget, Todd Boehly told Edson Alvarez they would come back for him. Even though Ajax don’t want to sell mid season they haven’t come back.”

While Chelsea didn’t make another bid in January, perhaps Boehly was simply respecting the fact that Ajax did not want to sell in the middle of the season, suggesting the interest could be resurrected this summer.

Alvarez himself appears to be very keen on the move – the Mexican even told De Telegraaf that he was devastated to miss out on a move to Chelsea.

The Ajax maestro said: “I mourned for one day and then showed I am a strong person. Of course the disappointment lasted for a while, but I believe that everything happens for a reason. Maybe it wasn’t the right time yet.”

Be sure to keep an eye on the situation, as this summer could finally see Alvarez move to Chelsea.