A Chelsea scout was in France on the weekend to watch Marseille pair Florian Thauvin and Giannelli Imbula, with the Blues already starting to compile a list of potential summer targets.
Blues scout Guy Hillion was spotted at the Monaco vs Marseille Ligue 1 game at the weekend, and according to ‘InsideFutbol‘, L’OM pair Thauvin and Imbula were both under scrutiny.
Named in the Guardian’s ‘Top 10 Brightest Prospects in Football’ this month, the 21-year-old Thauvin operates primarily as an attacking midfielder. He has great awareness, good pace, and is a real threat on the counter-attack.
Thauvin moved to the Stade Vélodrome last summer from Lille for a fee of €15m, and has been in great form so far for his new club, scoring five goals in Ligue 1 this year from 15 matches.
Arsenal had been tracking the midfielder over the last few months, with Wenger admitting his interest last year,
“We were following him and we were interested in him before he joined Lille,” the 64-year-old said last November in the Mirror,
“For me, he is one of the big prospects of French football.”
His teammate Imbula is a defensive minded operator, who can play either in midfield or defence. The long-serving Michael Essien made the switch to AC Milan last week, and the 21-year-old Imbula could be seen as his successor at the Bridge.
Read more – PHOTO: Michael Essien holding the AC Milan shirt
Voted the best palyer in Ligue 2 last year with Guingamp, he secured a move to Marseille at around the same time as Thauvin.
Chelsea scout Hillion knows the player well, as he explained to Le 10 Sport last year,
“He covers well, has good technique, great vision of the game, with a very good quality pass and a great left foot.”
With Chelsea seemingly finished in this transfer window, a bid for the pair will most likely arise in the summer.
What do you think? Would the duo make good additions to the Chelsea squad? Let me know in the comments below…
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