Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has prioritised signing a new centre-back ahead of the 2021/22 season with Jules Kounde appears to be on his wishlist and the Blues likely have to move Kurt Zouma in order to add new faces to their ranks.
Former Dortmund boss has identified centre-back position as a problem since his arrival at Stamford Bridge and wants to start the new season by signing a top-class defender.
Ibrahima Konate – who has joined Liverpool also was on top of Thomas Tuchel wishlist, while Niklas Sule and Jose Gimenez, alongside Kounde are now on options for the Blues to strengthen their defensive area.
Sevilla defender is viewed as a player with great potential and could transfer a perfect defensive partnership with Thiago Silva,
Kurt Zouma’s future remains up in the air as Thomas Thuchel plans to sell him, according to The Athletic.
While he has proven himself to be a quality player in recent years there are concerns over his ability to play out from the back.
Tuchel has increasingly left Kurt Zouma out of the starting XI since he arrived at the club and are now ushering him out the door.
They view the Frenchman as a player that coul help them to raise founds that will help to add a new top-class defender.
Chelsea London rivals West Ham United are considering a £20m offer for the defender, however, the Blues think he is worth considerably more.
With two years left on his current deal and heading into his prime, the Blues chiefs think now is the perfect time to sell him, as f Tuchel’s doesn’t consider him in his plans for the next season.
Zouma may even be involved in a deal for Sevilla defender. The Blues have looked at the possibility of offering Sevilla £30m plus Zouma in order to lure Frenchman at Stamford Bridge.
Sevilla are more interested in luring Andreas Christensen away from Stamford Bridge, however, the Blues think he the Denmark international could have a future under Thomas Tuchel.
Antonio Rudiger is believed to earn a new contract– he wants to become one of the teams highest-paid players – while Cesar Azpilicueta is viewed as a strong voice in the dressing room but Zouma looks set to be moved on and teams from Premier League are interested to sign him.
