CHELSEA were reportedly willing to pay Paris Saint-Germain £86million for Marquinhos but neither club nor player was interested in the offer.
The Blues had identified the 27-year-old as the perfect man to bolster their defence this summer.
But the Brazilian turned down Chelsea’s advances because he’s happy in Paris, according to Get Football News France.
And even if he was willing to move to Stamford Bridge, PSG weren’t going to let their captain leave.
Not even the allure of joining his old defensive partner Thiago Silva at Stamford Bridge was enough to entice Marquinhos into leaving the Ligue 1 giants.
If Marquinhos did join the Blues he would also have linked up with ex-PSG boss Thomas Tuchel.
However, the centre-back opted to stay with PSG’s star-studded squad that includes summer signing Lionel Messi.
But Marquinhos may be having second thoughts after the way both clubs have started their Champions League campaigns.
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Tuchel’s Blues rare form in the European competition has even led to Marquinhos’ PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino labelling them the team to beat at this stage.
The Argentine said: “It’s possible that Chelsea and ourselves are the two teams to beat on paper, looking at our squads.
“But Chelsea are the holders so they’re the team to beat especially after strengthening their squad.”
While PSG in comparison have failed to get going in the tournament so far, even with Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar leading the line.
PSG’s performance in their lacklustre 1-1 draw against Club Brugge last week left critics including Nicolas Anelka questioning whether Pochettino is the right man to get the best out of the club’s squad.
Speaking after the game, Anelka said: “We expected PSG to play well, but it’s the PSG we don’t want to see. Nothing went well.
“There was no intensity, no tracking back, nothing going forward. If they play like that, it’s not going to be possible.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
