Reports have surfaced that Chelsea have approached Ligue 1 side, Paris Saint-Germain for their left-back Layvin Kurzawa. Antonio Conte is in the market for a fullback as a rotational option or even a first-team replacement for Marcos Alonso. If anybody, the former Juventus manager can convince Kurzawa to make his way out of the French capital.
The Blues have already agreed on personal terms with Emerson Palmieri of AS Roma but the deal is in danger of going bust over a slight adjustment in Edin Dzeko’s contract. Kurzawa is a prime alternative for Palmieri and is a first-team regular for the Ligue 1 leaders. He has racked up 5 goals and 2 assists in 18 appearances for the club this season – a brilliant statistic for a defender. He earned his first career hat-trick against RSC Anderlecht on 31st October and subsequently went on to become the first defender to do so in the modern Champions League.
Blessed with a solid left-foot, Kurzawa is adept at playing on both ends of the pitch. The entire front line with Neymar in front of him depends on the Frenchman’s drilled in crosses from the left flank to slot in goals with ease. Kurzawa is a product of the AS Monaco academy and played his formative years with the club making 95 all around appearances. He arrived at the Parc des Prince in the summer of 2015, for a fee in the region of €22m.
Marcos Alonso is the only recognized senior team left full-back in the Chelsea lineup and that is concerning for a club who is still alive in three major competitions – Champions League, FA Cup and the Premier League, even with a 15 point gap behind Manchester City.
The 25-year old went on to enjoy a productive season for the Blues and helped them clinch the Premier League title with some excellent performances at the left-wing back. Conte favours the 3-4-3 formation and has allowed Alonso to surge forward towards the opposition half. What Alonso lacks is the top pedigree defensive ability to fall back and help the team out.
But even then, he is now the most active and possibly the only player with enough quality to start for the Blues on a regular basis. His first back up Abdul Baba Rahman has not been involved with Chelsea despite his recovery from the injury and looks set to be loaned out to return to form. Kurzawa fits the bill perfectly as to what Conte wants in his left-back and the Frenchman might just be able to hit the ground running on his arrival to the Stamford Bridge.
