PSG defender Marquinhos addresses "blocked" Chelsea transfer talks

Paris Saint-Germain captain Marquinhos has addressed the transfer speculation that linked him with a summer transfer to Chelsea.

The Brazilian central defender had been strongly linked with a big-money move to Stamford Bridge over summer by French media outlets.

It had been claimed that the plan was to reunite the defender with Thiago Silva, who joined the Blues a year ago and who had played alongside Marquinhos over multiple years for club and country.

Adding a central defender to the squad was a priority for Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel this summer but the club were unable to bolster in that department.

Their lengthy pursuit of Sevilla defender Jules Kounde was not successful while they were depleted in the position by Kurt Zouma completing a transfer to West Ham.

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Marquinhos has been a key figure for PSG since joining from Roma in 2013

The defensive position at the club has also been complicated by multiple defenders being out of contract next summer, including Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, Silva and Cesar Azpiliceuta.

The emergence of Trevoh Chalobah in the first-team ranks in Tuchel's squad will have softened the blow of not landing a defender this summer but the area is likely to be examined again next summer.

Marquinhos has now directly addressed the links that had speculated he would complete a move to the European champions this summer.

His response to the reports have ruled out discussions between the two clubs over a possible transfer but there is also a hint that Chelsea did indeed hold an interest in his signature.

When asked about links to the Blues, the defender told Le Parisien : "No! It wasn't even an offer. In fact, the club blocked talks straight away. It shows the faith they have in me.

"It is an honour for a club like PSG to put such faith in me. The fact that others are interested in me means I am doing well.

"It gives me the motivation to go on, boost my training sessions and play even better. Paris and PSG are the only things on my mind."

The current PSG star was an early investment of the Qatari era, joining from Roma for over £30m in 2013 and swiftly establishing a central defensive partnership with Silva - who joined Chelsea as a free agent in the summer of 2020.

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For the past eight years he has been a regular at the Parc des Princes, where he is under contract until 2024 and a key part of the club's future planning.

While frailties in the Chelsea defence were evident in Frank Lampard's rein, they have subsided significantly under Tuchel.

The Blues have the strongest defensive record in the Premier League so far this campaign with just three goals conceded in their opening nine matches - two of which were penalties.