Report: Chelsea shows interest in Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano

Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano had an up-and-down season to say the least.

After a strong start, a series of poor showings in the second half of the season (including some important gaffes during high-profile matches for the second season in a row) might have pushed Upamecano out of favor in Bavaria.

Now, a report from Bild (as captured by Metro) indicates that Chelsea FC has interest in Upamecano:

Chelsea are keeping close tabs on Dayot Upamecano’s situation ahead of a possible bid for the Bayern Munich defender in the summer transfer window. However, speculation has been mounting that Upamecano could be on the move again ahead of the 2024/25 season, with the France international enduring a tough campaign in Munich.

According to German publication Bild, Bayern are edging closer to completing a deal for Jonathan Tah and may need to offload one of their current first-team defenders to make way for the Bayer Leverkusen star. The report states that Upamecano is the most likely of Bayern’s current crop to be sold and Chelsea are one of the many clubs monitoring developments as they scour the market for Thiago Silva’s long-term replacement at centre-back.

It’s claimed Bayern officials deem Upamecano surplus to requirements, with the Frenchman guilty of making a string of high-profile blunders across the club’s trophyless campaign. Upamecano’s current deal in Munich runs through to the summer of 2026 and it’s believed Bayern would demand a fee in excess of £40m for the defender from potential suitors. The centre-back’s future could ultimately rest on Vincent Kompany, Bayern’s newly appointed manager, who took over the reins from Thomas Tuchel last week.

Bayern Munich is being closely linked to Bayer Leverkusen center-back and Germany international Jonathan Tah of late, which would indicate that one of Upamecano, Matthijs de Ligt, Eric Dier, or Kim Min-jae would have to be sold off.

As of now, it looks like Upamecano is the leader in the clubhouse to leave the club.

Looking for more thoughts and analysis on Germany’s 0-0 draw with Ukraine? Then Bavarian Football Works has you covered! Get all of Cyler’s takes on Germany’s tune-up friendly ahead of what could be a very interesting EURO 2024 competition on Spotify or below: