Chelsea close to stunning PSG deal

Article by e-Football Correspondent Jonathan Vine

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This week, French Champions Paris Saint-Germain will finalise the signing of Chelsea’s Brazillian Central Defender, David Luiz.

Luiz turned out to be more of a bit part player in Jose Mourinho’s first season back at Stamford Bridge. Despite starting the season as second choice centre half, a number of poor displays, most notably in defeats at both Everton and Newcastle, resulted in him getting dropped.

For the second half of the season, he was used primarily as a defensive midfielder, a position which undoubtedly suits his attributes better than at centre back. Yet, there is no doubt PSG plan to partner him with his international colleague, Thiago Silva, at the heart of their defensive unit.

But this is not the most shocking part of the story. The price PSG have reportedly agreed with Chelsea, is £40 Million.

Even for a team who are willing to spend as big as PSG, this is an absolutely absurd amount of money to pay for a defender who is not good enough to play in defence. Mourinho must have been dancing around his living room when he agreed the fee, already spending the money in his mind on the star striker he hopes will bring him the Premier League title next season.

This does make you wonder though, how many actual defenders could the French Champions have signed for less than £40 Million. I could probably name 50 given the chance, but for the sake of this article, I will point out the top five contenders.

Mehdi Benatia. Potential Transfer Value - £26,000,000.

Since leaving France for Serie A in 2010, Benatia’s reputation and value has sky rocketed. His superb defensive performances, especially at the start of the season, steered Roma to their highest League finish since they won the Title in 2001. He has been consistently linked with top clubs for the last few years, he knows Ligue One inside-out, surely he would have been the perfect signing.

Eliaquim Mangala. PTV - £30,000,000.

After Porto finished a disappointing third place in the Portuguese Primeira Liga, they will probably be expecting to lose their top stars and Mangala is certainly one of those. He has been strongly linked with moves to the Premier League for the past three transfer windows, but his strength, power and technical ability, would have made him a much better, and slightly cheaper, alternative to signing David Luiz.

Dede. PTV - £18,000,000.

Widely regarded as the best young defender in Brazil, Dede is destined for a move to Europe. Most young Brazilians either move to Portugal or Russia when they first come to dip their toe in European Football, but if given the opportunity to perform alongside many of his fellow countrymen, not to mention playing under the tutelage of Thiago Silva, who is up there with the best defenders in the world right now, I’m sure Dede would have jumped at the chance.

Jan Vertonghen. PTV - £27,000,000.

Since arriving at Spurs two years ago, the Big Dutchman has taken the Premier League by storm. His footballing ability, versatility, confidence on the ball and uncompromising tackling has made him one of the most feared defenders in English Football. The lure of the Champions League could have been enough to get him to join the French Champions, saving them a large pile of money in the process.

Diego Godin. PTV - £30,000,000.

His performance’s at the heart of Atletico Madrid’s defence this season have surely pushed the Uruguayan into FIFA Team of the Year contention. His defending has been nothing short of superb, his leadership has been vital in Atleticos push to the La Liga title, as have the goals he has chipped in at crucial times, none more so than the equaliser at the Nou Camp, which won them the title. He would be reluctant to leave Madrid after such a successful campaign, but he may have been tempted by a big money offer, and he would certainly command a transfer fee less than £40 million.

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