Is former Chelsea foe set to become a blue next summer?
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As Antonio Conte looks to shore up his Chelsea defence, and find a replacement for John Terry, one man who could fit into the Italian’s plans is PSG stalwart Thiago Silva.
Speculation has risen this week over the future of the central defender, whose contract with the Parisian giants could end next year.
Silva’s agent Paulo Tonietto told Total Witness this week: “We’re not negotiating a new contract, let’s see what happens before December.
“Thiago’s deal ends on June 30, 2017 if PSG don’t qualify for the Champions League. Everything is possible in football.”
Tonietto’s comments certainly allude to a clause regarding Champions League qualification, and although the capital club romped to last season’s title this year’s Ligue 1 is a much more competitive affair.
He added: “Chelsea are a big club, and the English league is the best in the world.”
It seems unlikely that PSG would fail to bag a Champions League spot, but the comments certainly raise speculation over a player who, at 32, still has a good few years left.
Silva is no stranger to the Stamford Bridge faithful, having headed in a memorable winner for PSG when the two sides met in a Champions League quarter-final clash in 2015.
Chelsea got off to a fine start under their new boss – winning their opening three games – but successive defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal have highlighted defensive woes that the Italian is keen to resolve as soon as possible.
A long-term replacement for John Terry still hasn’t been found, while it seems Gary Cahill’s days at the club may be numbered.
The west London outfit began the season as 9/2 third favourites to win the Premier League, but those odds have now drifted out to 14/1.
Following the international break, the Blues return to domestic action by welcoming reigning champions Leicester City to Stamford Bridge.
The bookies make Conte’s men 4/7 favourites, with Claudio Ranieri’s charges 9/2 to further add weight to Chelsea’s need for defensive changes.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
