Chelsea hold an advantage in the race to sign 21-year-old French defensive ace

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Chelsea hold an advantage in Ibrahima Konate pursuit

According to Bild (h/t Express), Chelsea are believed to have some advantage in their pursuit of Ibrahima Konate due to Thomas Tuchel. Transfer supremo Marina Granovskaia hopes that the Blues have an upper hand in convincing the RB Leipzig defender to join Chelsea.

It’s not that Chelsea overly require a new central defender. The club already boast of a strong contingent from which Thomas Tuchel has used the likes of Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta. They sent Fikayo Tomori on loan as well as having Kurt Zouma on the side.

LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 31: (L – R) Timo Werner, Thiago Silva, Cesar Azpilicueta and Antonio Rudiger of Chelsea prepare for a corner kick during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Burnley at Stamford Bridge on January 31, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

While Silva has had a great impact since arriving last summer, he will be 37 years old by the time the next season rolls on. Even Cesar Azpilicueta will need replacing at some point due to his age. So, adding another elite centre-back would serve the club well.

The 21-year-old Konate has been with Leipzig since 2017, having joined from boyhood club FC Sochaux. During his time at the Saxony-based outfit, Konate has grown into a promising young centre-back with loads of potential.

It is now believed that Zsolt Low who is Tuchel’s assistant, could helo Chelsea in their bid to convince Konate to move to the Bridge. Low worked with the youngster when he was the assistant manager under Ralf Rangnick and Ralph Hasenhuttl at Leipzig.

Chelsea v Newcastle United – Premier League – Stamford Bridge Chelsea coach Zsolt Low during the Premier League match at Stamford Bridge, London. Picture date: Monday February 15, 2021. PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xAdrianxDennisx 58116744

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Granovskaia is hoping that Low can influence the defender’s decision in joining the Blues. But with the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool also interested in the Frenchman, the race to sign him up in the summer could get tricky.