Chelsea could still hypothetically land long-term target Jules Kounde amid Barcelona worry as £85million Wesley Fofana stalemate with Leicester City continues.
The Blues, despite the smart £34m acquisition of Kalidou Koulibaly, are on the lookout for a new central defender as planning for the long-term future of the club is on the agenda for the new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly. This hasn't just been demonstrated by what Thomas Tuchel has said but also with the many acquisitions made for the youth team and academy set-up with Inter Milan's Cesare Casadei the next through the doors.
"We could use one more central defender; if you look at the numbers and that we play with a back three. The profile of the guys in the three is a little bit different, I admit," manager Tuchel said in a recent press conference. "We can play with Azpi (Cesar Azpilicueta), who is more a full-back than a central defender. (Marc) Cucurella, it's possible too [to play on the side of a back three]. Both of them cannot play as the middle central defender. So we could use one more central defender. Let's see what happens."
