Three potential replacements for David Luiz at Chelsea

David Luiz

The Chelsea defender is widely expected (Dailystar claims that Chelsea are willing to let go David Luiz) to leave Stamford Bridge in January after falling out of favour with Jose Mourinho. With the world cup coming up in the summer, a move to Barcelona or Bayern Munich could be very likely, should the German and Spanish powerhouses meet his value. (Latest reports from Metro suggest that Luiz is linked with a move to Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich)

So we present you with three defenders who might prove to be an excellent replacements for David Luiz.

Leonardo Bonucci

The least likely on this list, Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci isn’t likely to want to leave the Old Lady and with Monaco also rumoured to be sniffing around for the Italy international, Roman Abramovich will want to avoid sparking a bidding war. Bonucci is one of the best centre-backs in the business and is a vital cog in Antonio Conte’s Juventus machine.

Chelsea aren’t the only one who could come in with a bid in January. With his market value estimated at around  €20m (per transfermarkt.com), the former Bari man can only be afforded by Europe’s richest and most elite clubs, but with Juventus being one of them, there is no guarantee he will want to leave the Juventus Stadium, and with Chelsea struggling to impress this season, he may see the Blues as a step down.

However, if Abramovich does take out his cheque book, there are not many clubs and players who would deny the Russian Billionaire.

Sergio Ramos

Real Madrid supposedly confirmed that they would let the Spain international go if a club were to meet their valuation of €60 million. Although he may be one of the most accomplished defenders in the world, it is hard to see how any defender in the current state of world football would demand such a high price, as he doesn’t hold a torch to the great defenders of old, such as Jaap Stam or Alessandro Nesta.

Ramos, having already worked with Mourinho at Real Madrid, it would require little transition for the former Sevilla man. Though also a reported target for Manchester City, Chelsea may be out of their depth should Pellegrini’s interest be serious. Ramos alongside Terry would form a solid partnership at the back for at-least a foreseeable future and Ramos’s versatility could be an added advantage for the Blues.

 

Walter Samuel

A stop-gap more than anything, Walter Samuel is known to be a favourite of Mourinho’s after the treble-winning campaign at Inter Milan. The former Roma and Real Madrid defender is now 35, and will be 36 by the time the season is over, meaning that he would most likely play a part for Chelsea this season, but may be too old to be seen as a valuable asset the next.

Still a starter for Inter, his age is yet to show and his experience makes him still one of Europe’s better defenders. Samuel offers a lot of talent and experience for a small transfer fee, but as said previously, he may only fill the gap for a short time, and will leave Chelsea in the hunt for a new centre-back once again this time next season.