Chelsea to Open Contract Talks With Kurt Zouma

Chelsea are set to sit down with centre-back Kurt Zouma to discuss a new contract as a reward for the Frenchman's impressive start to the new season.

After struggling to make an impact for the majority of last season, Zouma established himself as a key player post-lockdown and has continued that momentum this year, forming a dominant partnership with new signing Thiago Silva.

He has started 11 games in all competitions this season and has already managed three goals, helping Chelsea improve at both ends of the field.

Fabrizio Romano notes that manager Frank Lampard has been hugely impressed with Zouma's recent form and now sees the Frenchman as a 'new leader', and the boss is keen to tie Zouma down to a new contract in the near future.

Zouma, who is believed to be happy at Stamford Bridge, still has three years remaining on his current deal, but Chelsea are keen to reward him for his improvement.

However, it could have been a completely different story. L'Equipe (via Sport Witness) claim that both Everton and Tottenham were keen on the 26-year-old during the summer, when neither Chelsea nor Zouma were particularly against the idea of a transfer.

The Blues demanded around £40m to part ways with Zouma during the summer, which was too much for either of the interested sides, so the defender had to stay at the Bridge.

It's noted that Zouma has now 'won over' Lampard with his performances, and the boss has not shied away from praising his centre-back pairing in recent weeks.

"I've been really impressed with Kurt, his form and what he's giving us, scoring and defending from set-pieces, which is a big part of our game," he said. (via Goal). "I think Thiago can affect people around him. I think of his status in the game and the way he plays it.

"We talk about partnerships in the team. We can all think of great centre-back partnerships. With Thiago's quality it rubs off not only on Kurt but any player he is paired with.

"I think he's helped Kurt and we now need to sustain that level of performance and keep the good run of clean sheets we're on going. He's certainly affecting the others."

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