Chelsea Transfer News: Latest on Marquinhos and Papy Djilobodji Rumours

Chelsea's quest to find some defensive reinforcements late in the summer transfer window will not lead to a move for Marquinhos, and instead the Blues will sign Papy Djilobodji, who will join the club from Nantes.

That's according to the Daily Mail's Simon Jones, who reports Nantes have confirmed there is a £3 million deal in place with the Blues regarding the 26-year-old. The deal was made after Paris Saint-German told Chelsea that Brazil international Marquinhos was not for sale.

Laurent Cipriani/Associated Press

Chelsea have been desperately scanning the transfer market in search of another centre-back after a disappointing start to the Premier League season, and with primary target John Stones not leaving Everton, they've been forced to look elsewhere, via BBC Sport's Phil McNulty.

Marquinhos, the 21-year-old star from PSG, reportedly sat near the top of manager Jose Mourinho's wish-list, but he was a regular starter for Les Parisiens last season, so a move always seemed unlikely.

Foot365 (h/t Tom Coast of Sport Witness) put it this way:

Instead, the Blues have turned their attention to Djilobodji of FC Nantes, a Senegal international who has been a regular for the club since arriving in France in 2009. Djilobodji had one year left on his contract and was keen on leaving the club, per Laure James of MailOnline, explaining why Chelsea are signing him for such a low fee.

Opinions will undoubtedly vary on the club's reported addition. Most fans probably don't watch a lot of Ligue 1 and have never seen Djilobodji play―in fact, when the rumour started doing the rounds, most pundits and fans seemed to focus on his rather unique name, rather than his abilities. Paddy Power took a shot at football commentator Paul Merson:

Tall, athletic and versatile, Djilobodji plays most of his minutes as a centre-back, but he's equally comfortable split out on the left or even as a holding midfielder. He's very physical, evidenced by his 11 yellow cards last season―per WhoScored.com―but he makes solid reads and has the vision required to be a successful centre-back.

French football writer Francois Piraux is a fan, especially given the low fee the Blues are reportedly paying:

Then again, the 26-year-old is not a regular starter for Senegal's national team, and if he can't even establish himself at that level, you have to wonder how he would fare better at Stamford Bridge.

According to Get French Football News, Premier League clubs Norwich City and Sunderland were offered the opportunity to sign him, and both declined:

Djilobodji is a bit of a late bloomer, and given the minimal fee, there's virtually no risk involved in this transfer. Fans of opposing teams may ridicule the Blues for going after an unknown player, but the defending Premier League champions wouldn't be pushing for this move unless the scouts saw something.

He's not the world-class option fans were probably hoping for, but he will provide depth at a position where the club already has two established starters―Gary Cahill and John Terry―and a promising prospect in Kurt Zouma.

There's no denying Marquinhos would have been the ideal signing―a young stud with world-class potential and the versatility to rival the struggling Branislav Ivanovic for the starting position on the right wing.

As shared by FourFourTweet, the Blues could currently do with a better option at the position, and unlike summer signing Abdul Baba Rahman, Marquinhos already has plenty of experience on the highest level.

But PSG were never going to move the Brazilian at this point in time, even if he's had a slow start to the 2015-16 season, with just one substitute appearance, per WhoScored. And with the 21-year-old off the market, the Blues adjusted their strategy and made sure to add some depth and athleticism before the end of the window.

Djilobodji may not be the solution to the issues that have led to the club's poor start to the season, but for £3 million, he presents solid value, and this late in the window, that's never a bad piece of business.

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