The Bosnian has listened to a proposal from the Blues. Miralem Pjanic could leave Juventus this summer and join Chelsea.
Image source: transfermarkt.com
Another day another star has been linked with Chelsea. This time it is the Bianconeri midfielder Miralem Pjanic, who turns out to be a top target for the La Liga giants Barcelona. According to The Daily Mail, Chelsea have made a formal bid for the Juventus ace as he has been long speculated to leave the club this summer. The report also adds that Pjanic has lent his ears to the proposal from the Blues. PSG are also one of the contenders for the signature of the Bosnian international.
However, Barca turn out to be the front runners in the race for the 30-year-old as he is said to be prioritising a move to the Nou Camp. The Catalans have reportedly made several offers – swap deals involving multiple players – to land Pjanic in Spain but none seem to have satisfied the Serie A leaders as they are willing to accept only Arthur in exchange. The Brazilian remains steadfast in staying with the Catalans.
Is Pjanic’s interest a meaningful one for Chelsea?
The Blues appear to be rampant in the transfer market as they have been linked with a multitude of prolific attackers – especially Timo Werner and Kai Havertz – while ensuring the signature of Hakim Ziyech from Ajax earlier this year. The midfield is also stacked up with experienced stars like Jorginho and N’golo Kante and young guns like Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Billy Gilmour.
However, Jorginho has been linked with a return to Italy, with Maurizio Sarri eyeing a reunion with his long-time student at Turin. In case of such transfer, the Blues will be missing a player who has been instrumental for their side under both Sarri and Frank Lampard. Though Jorginho’s defensive liabilities are manifest, the Italian’s importance to the team being a metronome in the midfield will be irreplaceable, especially given the club’s style of play – building from the back.
Pjanic also plays a similar role to that of Jorginho at Juve, while his age makes him a let-down for the club’s longer future. Instead, Lampard can find the successor to the 28-year-old in Gilmour, who has shown a glimpse of his quality in the earlier Premier League fixtures.
Lampard has already shown that he is not afraid to blood young players – also evident in Gilmour’s case – should build the squad around the 19-year-old, not the ones like Pjanic
