Chelsea eye N’Golo Kante replacement as Blues join Liverpool and Bayern Munich in transfer fight

It’s no secret that Todd Boehly is a huge admirer of the Red Bull model. When discussing plans to incorporate Chelsea into a multi-club ownership, Boehly namedropped Red Bull as a textbook example to look at.

“Red Bull does a really good job with Leipzig and Salzburg, both of which are playing in the Champions League. So they’ve figured out how to make that work,” Boehly said last month.

Chelsea’s recent recruitment activity has shown just how much Boehly admires both Leipzig and Salzburg. For the sporting director vacancy at Stamford Bridge, Boehly spoke to Salzburg executive Christopher Freund, while the 49-year-old is now closing in on appointing former Leipzig director Christopher Vivell to fill the role.

As for players, Chelsea Lens understands that Chelsea have reached a pre-contractual agreement with long-term target Christopher Nkunku, while his Leipzig team-mate Josko Gvardiol is also on the Blues’ radar. According to reports, there is a third player from the Bundesliga side who Chelsea are interested in.

BILD have reported that Chelsea have joined Bayern Munich and Liverpool in the race to sign midfielder Konrad Laimer. The Austria international reportedly wants to leave Leipzig and is set to become a free agent next summer.

The 25-year-old is understood to be looking for a fresh challenge, with a Premier League move an appealing proposition. Laimer has made 167 appearances for Leipzig, and with N’Golo Kante’s future at Chelsea up in the air with his contract up next summer, the Austrian midfielder could prove to be the ideal replacement.