Chelsea have widened their search for another centre-back signing after Barcelona hijacked their move for Jules Kounde and are now targeting a move for Leicester City star Wesley Fofana.
The Blues spent £33m to bring Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly to Stamford Bridge earlier in the month but are keen to sign another centre-back before the transfer deadline.
Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen both left west London at the end of last season – joining Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively – and Tuchel has repeatedly stressed the importance of new additions.
Chelsea have been in talks with Sevilla over a deal for Kounde and were optimistic the Frenchman would complete a move worth around £55m.
But Barcelona entered the race for Kounde earlier this month and now appear to be at the front of the queue to secure the 23-year-old’s signature.
Kounde is open to joining Chelsea but would rather join Barcelona, who are currently trying to raise funds to push through the deal.
As a result, Chelsea are looking elsewhere for defensive reinforcements and have recently been linked with Denzel Dumfries, Milan Skriniar and Presnel Kimpembe.
Sky Sports say another name has now emerged as a target for Chelsea, with Leicester’s Fofana attracting interest from the Blues.
Fofana quickly established himself as one of Leicester’s most important players following his move from Ligue 1 in 2020 but his development stalled when he suffered a broken leg this time last year.
The 21-year-old, who signed a two-year contract extension at the King Power Stadium in March, is back fit again and raring to go ahead of the new season.
Chelsea not only face losing Kounde to Barcelona, but also selling two defenders to the Spanish club, with Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta keen for moves to the Nou Camp.
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