Chelsea have reportedly received the green light to sign defender Jonathan Clauss from Lens. This is because Lens has found a replacement for Clauss.
Clauss, who was one of the most reliable performances in Ligue 1 last season and has since earned four caps for France, is rumored to have begun discussions with the Premier League team.
The 29-year-old moved to Lens in 2020 after playing for Arminia Bielefeld and winning the German second division.
Clauss is viewed as a late bloomer as well. In fact, just five years ago, he was competing in the French third tier.
The defender, on the other hand, has twice been selected to the Ligue 1 Team of the Year.
His impressive performance has drawn interest from Chelsea and Atletico Madrid, respectively. But the Blues seem to be in the driver’s seat for a player with just one year left on his deal.
Clauss can play as a typical full-back despite his preference for playing as a wing-back. These qualities are perfect for Thomas Tuchel, who at Stamford Bridge frequently alters his formation.
If he can secure the appropriate defensive targets, Tuchel will primarily keep to his 3-4-3 formation.
Andreas Christensen and captain Cesar Azpilicueta are reportedly anticipated to depart after Real Madrid acquired Antonio Rudiger.
Tuchel won’t have enough players in the defense, thus Clauss is anticipated to take Azpilicueta’s place.
Early Christmas present for Chelsea
Chelsea will need to spend between £8.5 million and £10 million to acquire him.
After hiring Jimmy Cabot of Angers as Clauss’ replacement, Lens are prepared to sell.
The Blues’ primary problem right now is that, since Todd Boehly took charge, they haven’t made any major signing.
The club’s transfer coordinator, Marina Granovskaia, is set to leave the club, leaving a gap in that aspect of the club.
Meanwhile, Jules Kounde, a star for Sevilla, is another player in whom the Blues remain interested. The new management team at Chelsea is aware that before making any fresh transfers, they must first reassemble the correct parts.
Jonathan Clauss: Who is he?
Jonathan Clauss, a French professional football player who now competes for both the France national team and Ligue 1 club Lens, was born on September 25, 1992.
Clauss, a long-time product of Strasbourg’s academy, spent years playing in lower-level leagues in France and Germany before agreeing to a deal with Quevilly-Rouen in Ligue 2 for the 2017–18 campaign. He made his club debut on September 8, 2017, contributing to one of his team’s goals in a 3-2 loss to Châteauroux.
After trialing with the team, Clauss agreed to a free agency contract with Arminia Bielefeld in August 2018.
After signing a three-year deal with Lens, who had just been promoted to Ligue 1 then, L’Équipe claimed in May 2020 that Clauss would leave Bielefeld after his contract in the summer and move back to France. At the age of 28, he made his debut in the elite league. After the 2020–21 season, he was selected for the Ligue 1 Team of the Year by the Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionals (UNFP).
International career
At the age of 29, Clauss was given his first call-up to the France national team by manager Didier Deschamps for friendlies against South Africa and Ivory Coast.
Jonathan Clauss – Honours
Arminia Bielefeld
- 2. Bundesliga: 2019–20
Individual
- UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2020–21, 2021–22.
