Marquinhos reveals PSG blocked Chelsea approach in summer
By Tom Gott
Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos has revealed that Chelsea made a move for him in the summer but were immediately knocked back.
The Blues were on the hunt for a new centre-back, with Sevilla's Jules Kounde their primary target, but rumours emerged suggesting Chelsea had been prepared to launch a whopping €100m bid for Marquinhos, who starred during manager Thomas Tuchel's time in France.
PSG were reported to have knocked back Chelsea's approach almost immediately, and now Marquinhos himself has confirmed the story.
"It wasn't even an offer," he told Le Parisien of Chelsea's interest. "In fact, the club blocked talks straight away. It shows the faith they have in me.
"It is an honour for a club like PSG to put such faith in me. The fact that others are interested in me means I am doing well. It gives me the motivation to go on, boost my training sessions and play even better. Paris and PSG are the only things on my mind."
Marquinhos was excellent during Tuchel's time with PSG, shining both in midfield and in defence, so it's not hard to see why Chelsea made a call to the Parisians about a possible transfer.
In the end, they focused on Kounde and believed they had a deal done worth close to £45m, only for Sevilla to knock them back late on and refer to the Frenchman's £68m release clause.
Sevilla president Jose Castro recently fired a warning to Kounde's suitors, including Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United, insisting that triggering his release clause is the only way Kounde will be leaving the club in the near future.
In the end, Chelsea declined to pay that kind of money and instead put their faith in academy graduate Trevoh Chalobah, who has continued to impress in the first team ever since.
The 22-year-old is thought to be on the cusp of signing a new long-term contract to replace his current deal, which is set to expire at the end of the current campaign.