Chelsea make opening transfer offer to sign £43m defender

Chelsea have failed with an opening transfer bid for Nantes defender Tylel Tati, according to reports in France.

Tati made his first-team debut for Nantes in the club’s first match of the season against PSG and has gone on to establish himself as a regular in Ahmed Kantari’s starting XI.

The 18-year-old has gone from strength to strength at the heart of Nantes’ defence, starting 18 of the side’s last 20 games, and is widely considered to be among the most promising young centre-backs in Ligue 1.

However, there is mounting speculation that Tati could soon be set for bigger and better things, with the teenager beginning to attract strong interest from some of the top clubs in European football.

French newspaper L’Equipe report that Chelsea have made their interest known, even testing Nantes’ resolve with an ‘unwritten’ offer in the region of €30million (£26m) for the towering 6 ft 3 in centre-half.

It’s claimed Nantes have no desire to lose one of their key players midway through the campaign, though, and wasted little time in knocking back Chelsea’s approach.

The Blues had hoped to sign Tati this month before sending him back on loan to Nantes for the second half of the season.

But the report claims ‘the move is unlikely to happen’ given the time constraints Chelsea face, with the January transfer window set to close on Monday.

Tati – who has represented France at both Under-16 and Under-17 level – is tied into a deal with Nantes until June 2028.

Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain are also known to be admirers of Tati but are yet to make a formal offer for the highly rated youngster.

Recent reports emanating out of France indicated that it would require a bid in excess of €50m (£43m) from a potential suitor for Nantes to even consider doing business for their prized possession.

Tati is not the only French defender to find himself on Chelsea’s radar this winter, with Rennes’ Jeremy Jacquet known to be high up on the wishlist of Stamford Bridge bosses.

But while Jacquet is understood to have agreed personal terms with Chelsea, the Club World Cup holders are yet to reach an agreement with Rennes over a transfer fee for the 20-year-old.

‘It is a situation that is disturbing for everyone,’ Rennes boss Habib Beye told reporters when asked about Chelsea’s pursuit of Jacquet.

‘We have profiles that are sought after. This period isn’t simple. We’ll have to get through it.’

Speaking to the media earlier this week, Liam Rosenior made no secret of the fact that he expects to have limited involvement when it comes to Chelsea’s transfer dealings.

‘That’s the beauty of being a head coach within a structure,’ he explained.

‘I’m not an old-school manager that’s got out the phone and is making calls.

‘I’ve got the best people, I think, in world football working on those things.

‘I probably see the last two per cent of the work they do, which allows me to focus on what I need to focus on: the team and the performance.’

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