With Chelsea likely to miss out on signing Everton’s John Stones, Chelsea are expected to complete the signing of Papy Djilobodji from FC Nantes tomorrow, for a reported fee of £2.7 million.
Although he may be relatively unknown to Europe’s elite clubs, according to The Mirror, the young defender had already been offered to a trio of Premier League clubs this summer, before all but securing a shock move to Chelsea.
The report claims that newly promoted teams Bournemouth and Norwich had both been offered the Senegalese international, and they along with Sunderland turned him down.
It’s likely that Djilobodji’s reputation may have been the main reason all three clubs decided against signing him. The 26 year old is known for his rash challenges, and earlier on in his career this unpredictability was a problem for Nantes.
However since their rise into Ligue 1, Djilobodji has become far more reliable, and was a vital part of the team that overachieved last season, finishing 14th in France’s top division.
Although he may not have been Mourinho’s first choice target this summer, Djilobodji is in no way a panic buy, and will be expected to feature for Chelsea this season, even if the club does decide to pursue John Stones again in January.
