The summer transfer window is five days old and Chelsea have a rebuild to complete. The departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen ensure that the Blues' backline requires new faces, while the likes of N'Golo Kante and Jorginho coming to the final 12 months of deals of their own and a number of returning stars like Conor Gallagher and Billy Gilmour guarantees some difficult decisions in the middle of the park.
Chelsea appeared set to add Jules Kounde to Thomas Tuchel's ranks before news of an operation on a longstanding injury, and while it should not impact the deal, it will be difficult for supporters not to harbor an element of doubt. Nevertheless, the Blues have been on the Frenchman's trail for a year and he is expected to be fit in time for the start of the season.
Despite those key areas where Chelsea need to strengthen, the club remain relentlessly linked to swathes of attacking players. Ousmane Dembele, Christopher Nkunku, Gabriel Jesus, Raheem Sterling, Raphina, Richarlison, Darwin Nunez, Lautaro Martinez, Serge Gnabry, Neymar - the list goes on.
