Chelsea want Bundesliga star Dayot Upamecano, a good deal?

At the moment, Upamecano is one of the most sought-after players in the world and a big reason behind that is his £40 million release clause that will be activated this summer. For a player of his age and is regarded as one of the best young defenders right now, that is a relatively low price. The Frenchman is a player valued at significantly higher than this figure and that is why almost every top club in Europe are looking to take the bargain.

Upamecano is a modern-day central defender boasting every attribute a defenders dreams to have. His frame of 6’1″ might not be the biggest but he still has a formidable physical presence and also excellent in the air that is evident from his average of 2 aerial duels won per game. What makes Upamecano a complete defender is his athleticism and pace that makes life of opponent attackers really hard. The Frenchman is difficult to be outpaced or outmuscled and his understanding of the game is also top notch.

Upamecano has made 1.8 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 2.1 clearances per game this season and boasts a very strong success rate for recoveries. He is not only sound defensively but also plays a crucial role in the RB Leipzig setup with his ability to build from the back. The 22-year-old loves to bring the ball out of defence and has the confidence and ability to do that on a weekly basis. The Frenchman is also an exquisite passer of the ball as evident from his passing accuracy of 88% despite playing almost 75 passes per game on an average.

Any manager, who likes to build from the back and wants his team to control possession, has every reason to be interested in a ball-playing defender like Upamecano and his relatively low release clause only adds more interest.

Chelsea’s summer acquisition Thiago Silva has so far proved to be a brilliant signing but he is already 36 years of age and the Blues must look for long-term options. And, Upamecano is clearly levels ahead of every defender Chelsea have at the moment apart from Silva. Therefore, this deal looks like a no-brainer from their point of view.