Exclusive: Chelsea Line Up Dayot Upamecano Move with Bayern Facing Contract Countdown

New Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior is looking to lure unsettled Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano to Stamford Bridge in this transfer window, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.

Rosenior is desperate to sign a new centre-back and Upamecano’s contract talks have stalled with the German giants, with the offer of a new contract having been rejected by the 27-year-old France international.

Upamecano’s current contract runs out in June and Bayern believe they have offered the player a “very good contract offer” according to the club’s sporting director Max Eberl.

But our sources have discovered that the Blues are now working on a potential deal to bring Upamecano to the Premier League.

Rosenior is understood to have identified the 35-cap international as one of his key targets during the current transfer window.

And the Blues are now looking to test Bayern’s resolve to see if they will cash in on the player before his contract expires in little over five months’ time.

ADMISSION

“Even if the decision goes again us, we would be able to live with it,” revealed Eberl, in the first honest admission that the defender might now leave Bayern after six seasons in the Bundesliga.

“The decision is now up to the player. There is no deadline, but it would be helpful for everyone involved if a decision were made soon.”

Upamecano was offered a new deal towards the end of last year but has yet to put pen to paper on a new contract.

He has previously been linked with a move to Premier League champions Liverpool, but our sources understand interest has cooled in the player from the Reds.

Crystal Palace were also linked with a move for Upamecano back in November as a potential replacement for Marc Guéhi, and with the England centre-back now officially joining Manchester City, last season’s FA Cup winners could yet step up their interest.

Bayern, last season’s league champions, are also believed to be in the market for a new centre-back, with Upamecano expected to leave if they can find a replacement.

The club are in no rush to sell the defender, who has been pivotal to their success over the last few years, but they are also conscious the centre-back doesn’t leave on a free and they fail to recoup a fee for him whilst he is under contract.