Thomas Tuchel urged Chelsea to bid £72.5m for PSG star

The Champions League holders were keen to sign a new central defender in the summer and were close to getting Jules Kounde before Sevilla raised their asking price in the closing stages of the window.

Chelsea had already signed Thiago Silva on a free transfer from PSG a few months before Thomas Tuchel’s arrival at Stamford Bridge in January.

And according to L’Equipe, Tuchel was keen on reuniting his two Brazilian defenders as he personally endorsed Chelsea’s move for Marquinhos in the summer.

The report claims that Chelsea’s proposal reached €85m (£72.5m) but PSG refused to entertain offers for the Brazil international and said that the 27-year-old was not for sale.

Chelsea were handed an unexpected boost this season with the emergence of Trevoh Chalobah but they are still facing the prospect of undergoing a major defensive shake-up as Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, Thiago Silva and Andreas Christensen all see their contracts expire at the end of the campaign.

Tuchel has already made it clear that he is a huge admirer of Marquinhos after working with him at PSG.

‘Marquinhos is the heart and soul of our team,’ Tuchel said last year.

‘That’s why he must play at the heart of the action, but also because he’s talented.

‘He has all the qualities to play in midfield, and has a worker’s mentality. He can help the defenders and the forwards at the same time. It’s important that he’s close to everybody as he’s the boss.

‘Marqui covers more ground than anybody else in the team and is valuable in the counter-pressing.

‘If Marqui needs to play at the back, then he will, but he has proven his ability in midfield.

‘He can really push the team to its best level.’

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