Football News : Chelsea to rival Liverpool for signatures of RB Leipzig’s Konrad Laimer

Konrad Laimer, a midfielder for RB Leipzig, has apparently emerged as a potential transfer target for Chelsea. Laimer is currently in his sixth season with the Bundesliga team and he has played 124 starts and 41 substitute appearances across all competitions.

The 25-year-old's versatility has proven to be a huge benefit to Leipzig, as the player can play at right-back, wing-back, and central midfield in addition to making frequent appearances.

But given that his contract only has a little more than a year left, there is now no doubt that he will decide to accept a new challenge in the summer.

The fact that teams like Liverpool, Manchester United, and Bayern Munich were all rumoured to be interested in signing him during the most recent transfer window may have contributed to that desire.

Bild claims that despite Jurgen Klopp appearing to be a fan of the Austrian international, Liverpool is still keeping an eye on the situation. However, the same rumour suggests that Chelsea are also prepared to compete for Laimer's services beginning in 2023-2024.

The West Londoners just completed their most costly transfer window in club history with Todd Boehly's acquisition from Roman Abramovich. However, it has been widely rumoured that the Blues will approach the forth coming transfer windows aggressively in an effort to continue to transform their team.

In contrast, a move for Laimer as a free agent would be more cost-effective, especially given his ability to play down the right side of the defence.

Chelsea will eventually need a fresh wing-back replacement for Reece James because Cesar Azpilicueta is now 33 years old.

Laimer may not be in any hurry to make a final choice on his future as fellow admirers Bayern Munich cannot have formal conversations with him until next summer.

Last month, when asked about his future, Laimer stressed that he would make the ultimate decision "calmly, not overnight."

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