Chelsea may have to turn attention away from RB Leipzig midfielder Konrad Laimer after the 25-year-old has set his heart on joining Bayern Munich in 2023.
The Austrian international has long been looked at by Liverpool and other European clubs after his marauding presence in midfield was noted, but he appears keen to stay in Germany with Bild reporter Christian Falk stating that the midfielder wants to join Julien Nagelsmann's Bayern.
Laimer is out of contract in 2023 and can negotiate a free transfer away from Leipzig in January when he enters the final six months of his current deal.
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The Blues are looking for a midfield rebuild with Jorginho and N'Golo Kante also out of contract in the summer and Graham Potter needing more of a defensive presence in front of his backline. Chelsea have struggled to replace Kante's void when injured and face the prospect of losing another two senior players in the centre of the pitch.
Chelsea’s interest in Laimer stretches back to last season. football.london understands the Austrian international was flagged as a potential target after being watched by club scouts, who felt he possessed similar midfield qualities to Kante, which makes sense given the need for bodies in that area.
Todd Boehly is also keen to bring Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice to Stamford Bridge but not only could that rely heavily on securing Champions League football for next season, given their already lofty status within the world game, a positive World Cup is only going to further increase their price.
Having spent £250million on players over the summer and also needing right-back cover, defensive reinforcements and attacking changes, Rice and Bellingham would be a big chunk of any budget being set aside, hence Laimer's appeal.
When it comes to his profile, Laimer does compare well to Kante and makes a high number of tackles and blocks. Laimer is more conservative on the interception front though but remains a good ball player. These are all key areas Chelsea will need to look at for other targets over the next two windows.
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