Chelsea fail with approach for Ibrahim Sangare

Chelsea have reportedly failed with an attempt to sign PSV Eindhoven midfielder Ibrahim Sangare in a deadline-day move.

According to Eindhovens Dagblad, Chelsea tried to snatch Ibrahim Sangare in a bid to strengthen their midfield, but PSV Eindhoven are very reluctant to part ways with the defensive midfielder as it stands after slapping a €45 million price tag on him.

The Ivory Coast international only extended his contract to 2027 a few weeks ago, and it would take around €45 million for the west London giants to lure the midfielder to Stamford Bridge.

Having reshuffled the defence with the arrival of Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella, Thomas Tuchel now needs some reinforcements for his injury-plagued midfield. Mateo Kovacic only returned to the bench in the 2-1 defeat against Southampton, while N’Golo Kante is still in the treatment room for a muscular problem and is expected to miss a few more games.

Sangare has had quite an eventful Eredivisie season so far netting two goals in three matches, and the Ivory Coast international has been a prime target for Premier League teams for quite some time.

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Chelsea have made their intentions clear that they are ready to splash to the tune of €40-45 million for the 24-year old. But with the Dutch window already closed for new transfers, PSV would unlikely to sell the midfielder at this crunch time. Meanwhile, Cody Gakpo has also attracted significant interest from a number of clubs, and PSV have refused to sanction his sale as well.

Chelsea appear to be crying for some new additions in the middle of the pitch following their defeats against Leeds United and Southampton. And at least one midfielder is expected to be added to Tuchel’s squad before the transfer deadline.

Sangare would be happy to join the Premier League outfit this summer, but PSV will not allow the sale of two players on the same day as it would make them a lot weaker especially when they are topping the Eredivisie charts.

Chelsea could return with an improved offer or they could shift their focus on other targets as time is running out for them. The departure of Ross Barkley has opened the door for a potential arrival, and the Blues need to explore all the opportunities before shutting down their shop on the deadline day.