:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52357143/538525030.0.jpeg)
According to an ESPN source, Chelsea are currently tracking the situation of Fenerbahce centre back Simon Kjaer. Chelsea once came very close to signing Kjaer, but we opted for David Luiz instead in January 2011.
The 27-year-old Kjaer has been at Fener since 2015, having joined the club on a €8 million fee from French club Lille. He quickly slotted himself into the first team on his arrival, and has accumulated 66 appearances over the past year-and-a-half. With former Liverpool player Martin Škrtel as his partner in the centre of Fenerbahce's defence, Kjaer helped the team finish first in their Europa League group against the likes of Manchester United and Feyenoord, picking up an upset 2-1 win over the English club last month.
While reports in Turkey claim that Chelsea have already made an approach for Kjaer, a source close to the player told ESPN that the Blues have yet to put forward a bid. Fenerbahce aren't willing to let go of the Denmark national team captain for anything less than €15 million, which is still a fairly small amount in today’s market.
As much as we can doubt the veracity of any rumor, the ones from Turkey tend to be even less reliable than those from other leagues around Europe. That said, Kjaer could certainly do a backup’s job at least at Chelsea.