Chelsea considered PSG's Renato Sanches after Lamine Camara's move collapsed. Blues were desperate for midfield reinforcement.
After being left empty-handed in their potential signing of Lamine Camara from AS Monaco, Chelsea urgently searched for another midfielder. In fact, according to reports, the London club even considered a player who is regarded as a failure at PSG.
Monaco has very likely made itself a new enemy in England. In the final stages of the summer transfer window, the Principality club had reached an agreement with Chelsea for Camara’s transfer. However, the Monegasques, who had planned to balance their finances by selling Folarin Balogun to Everton, decided at the last minute to keep the midfielder.
This obviously did not go down well at Stamford Bridge, prompting the Blues’ executives to look for an emergency alternative. Desperate, the Premier League giant considered options involving some free agents.
According to reports, Chelsea even considered signing players who had failed at Paris Saint-Germain to compensate for Enzo Fernández's departure. According to Foot Mercato, the London club contacted 35-year-old Dutchman Georginio Wijnaldum, who eventually joined Saudi club Al-Ittihad.
But that is not all, as according to the same report, Chelsea also considered signing 29-year-old Portuguese midfielder Renato Sanches. The midfielder met several of the Blues' criteria, including his experience at the highest level and immediate availability.
It is worth remembering that the former Lille player was also recently released from the final year of his contract with Paris Saint-Germain. Chelsea saw this as a good opportunity to acquire a player at a low cost.
The team’s manager, Xabi Alonso, ultimately deemed his squad sufficient to at least get through the first half of the season. Chelsea may also have doubted the reliability of the alternatives they considered.
It is difficult to imagine Sanches as a successful signing for a major European club, given that his career has been at a standstill since he joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2022.
In other news, reports in England suggest PSG is interested in Barcelona defender Eric García and could try to sign him in January. That said, there are difficulties, as García has attracted interest from major clubs such as Tottenham, Aston Villa and Newcastle United, while Barcelona would reportedly demand no less than €55 million to let him leave.
Whatever Enrique has to say to García could perhaps be the most decisive factor in determining whether there is a genuine possibility of the defender moving to Paris. For now, while he waits to learn more about his future, the player will have to continue performing at a high level to earn minutes with Hansi Flick’s Barcelona.
