- 18 hours ago
RB Leipzig enter race for Chelsea target to replace new Liverpool signing
Stefan Bienkowski
- 31 May 2021 14:50 BST
- 5 min read
RB Leipzig could turn to Chelsea transfer target Maxence Lacroix to replace Ibrahima Konate, following the defender’s move to Liverpool last week.
According to Sky Germany, the Wolfsburg defender has moved to the top of RB Leipzig’s summer shopping list as the club looks to rebuild their back line.
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Not only have the Bundesliga side lost Konate to Liverpool, but have also seen Dayot Upamecano move on to Bayern Munich after the German champions bought out the defender’s minimum-fee release clause in February.
As such, the Saxony side not only have two defensive holes to fill this summer but a sizable sum of money to put towards it, having made no less than €100 million from the sale of the two defenders and the compensation Bayern had to pay to sign head coach Julian Nagelsmann.
Despite already signing two defenders in Josko Gvardiol and Mohamed Simakan, the report suggests that Leipzig are looking for another ready-made Bundesliga defender to help sure up their defence.
Could Chelsea still sign Lacroix this summer?
While RB Leipzig may have joined the race to sign the Wolfsburg defender, it still seems likely that Chelsea could get their man if they’re serious about buying him.
While Wolfsburg would prefer to keep the young player after only signing him last summer, the club are often quite pragmatic in the transfer window and know each of their stars has their price.
The question then comes down to whether Chelsea need another central defender. In Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger and Thiago Silva, Thomas Tuchel’s side have a back line that just won the Champions League.
However, Christensen and Rudiger both have contracts that expire next summer, while Silva’s is set to run out this summer.
If Chelsea can sign all three up to long-term deals then they may keep their powder dry this summer, but if not then Lacroix may be a viable option.
