Chelsea make direct contact for signing of Prem star they really don’t need
Chelsea have reportedly been in touch with the agent of a Premier League star to make their interest known in his signings, but it’s one they don’t actually need.
The Blues are building well on their fourth-placed league finish last season. Currently, they are third in the league and second-placed Manchester City are only two points ahead.
If they can keep their form up, Chelsea could be in a great spot come the end of the season.
And they are already looking at how to improve their squad for 2026. Caught Offside reports the Blues have been in touch via intermediaries to show their interest in Crystal Palace full-back Daniel Munoz.
The right-sided defender is also on the radar of Barcelona and Manchester City, having scored twice and assisted twice for the Eagles this season.
The report suggests interested sides feel Munoz could be available for as low as €30million (£26.5m) though a previous report has stated Palace are valuing him ‘well over’ £25million.
It’s believed Chelsea could make an offer as early as January, as they are aware of the injury record of incumbent right-back Reece James.
But the other right-backs they have at their disposal shows why the Blues don’t actually need Munoz.
Alongside James – who has played 874 minutes this season and currently looks to be managing his fitness well – are Malo Gusto and Josh Acheampong.
With James remaining fit throughout the season so far, in an effort to give minutes to the fellow right-backs, Gusto has at times played in midfield and Acheampong at centre-back.
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But the Blues have six other players who can play in the heart of the defence and five more defensive midfielders, so they’re not always going to be able to play elsewhere.
In fact, James and Gusto have both played in midfield at times, accommodating for the other to play right-back when it’s better suited to them.
With right-backs playing all over the shop at Chelsea, adding another top the mix would surely drive down the potential minutes each of them will get.
If one of them – James or Gusto more so than Acheampong – was to get injured, then having another option might be good, but there would still be another right-back to cover for them.
From Munoz’s point of view, he might see the right-back situation at the club and decide against a move, knowing opportunities might not be quite what they are at Palace, where there have only been three games in which he’s not played a full 90 minutes this season.
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