One Paris Saint-Germain star could provide the answer to Chelsea’s problems in central defence this season.

Chelsea have real issues in their backline right now, and that was clear to see in their 1-0 defeat to Sunderland over the weekend. Levi Colwill was absolutely battered by Brian Brobbey to the point where Xabi Alonso had to take him off at half-time.

Wesley Fofana fared better against the Sunderland striker, but he has not been totally convincing overall. It would now not be a surprise if the Blues signed a new central defender in January.

Illia Zabarnyi on Chelsea’s radar again

One player Chelsea could turn to is Illia Zabarnyi. Chelsea have shown interest in Zabarnyi in the past, and it appears that they are looking at him once again.

According to journalist Simon Phillips, Chelsea are keeping tabs on his situation at PSG. It is thought that the 24-year-old is not completely content in France.

Obviously, there’s a situation there. There have been some rumours about him perhaps not being quite content in France, and he could be available. Chelsea are certainly watching that situation.”

At the start of the season, Zabarnyi may very well have been unhappy. He did not start in any of PSG’s first five games in Ligue 1.

However, since then, the Ukrainian has started in each of the French club’s following five matches. It means Chelsea may not be able to sign him until the end of the campaign.

What Illia Zabarnyi would bring to Chelsea’s backline

PSG paid £57m when they signed Zabarnyi from Bournemouth last August. It is a big fee for a defender, but you can see why PSG paid it and why Chelsea may be willing to pay a similar amount of money in the future.

Zabarnyi is a modern-day centre-back, which is what most young coaches want as they set their team up to play out of defence. That is something the Ukraine international can undoubtedly do.

According to FotMob, Zabarnyi completes 84.20 passes and has a 94.8% pass completion rate per 90 minutes. This is someone who gets on the ball a lot, which is to be expected given PSG’s possession-oriented style.

Still, you need to be confident and comfortable in possession to fit into the above, and Zabarnyi is just that. His passes do not just go sideways either.

Zabarnyi is completing 3.60 long balls and 11.80 line-breaking passes per 90, showing that his distribution has range, while he can also pass the ball through a block. Ultimately, Zabarnyi would add to Chelsea’s build-up in a positive way if they bring him in next year.