Chelsea transfers: Borussia Monchengladbach defender Nico Elvedi emerges as potential James replacement

Borussia Monchengladbach defender Nico Elvedi has emerged as a target for Chelsea in the upcoming January transfer window, TEAMtalk understands.

The Switzerland international, who plays primarily as a centre-back and can also play at right-back, could be available to Chelsea for around £30million.

Reece James has suffered another injury, which will impact the rest of his season and potentially put him out of the upcoming European Championships with England, and therefore the versatility of Elvedi is seen as attractive.

Although Elvedi is contracted until 2027 there is an opening for him to leave in January with Gladbach content to bring in a good fee and use it to strengthen the side.

Elvedi has recently signed up with super-agent Pini Zahavi at his agency Gol International as he tries to secure a move to the Premier League in the upcoming window.

The agent is one of the biggest in the world and has a long-standing relationship with several clubs in England, including Chelsea. His client list includes Christopher Nkunku, Robert Lewandowski and Aleksandar Mitrovic.

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Chelsea keen on Nico Elvedi

There have been conversations with multiple clubs about Elvedi and that includes Chelsea, who are keen to sign another defender.

Zahavi also represents Jonathan Tah who is  being considered by the Blues and it was during conversations about the Leverkusen defender that Elvedi’s name came up.

The Israeli is a long-time friend of former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and recently worked with the club to bring in forward Nkunku from RB Leipzig.

He also acted as a pivotal emissary in discussions that led to Abramovich buying the club in 2003.

This relationship could be key in the coming weeks as Chelsea seek to add depth in to their defensive options and Mauricio Pochettino continues to push the board to make improvements to his struggling side.

Chelsea will also look to strengthen in the midfield and attack, with newly crowned African Footballer of the Year Victor Osimhen the key target, and he is set to be the biggest deal of the winter window should all go to plan.

Pochettino is pushing the board to add serious quality to his team with a desire to see ready-made winners in a side full of youthful potential. There is a belief from the coaching team a lack of cutting edge is missing that only comes with experience and time.

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