Report: Blues Boss Thomas Tuchel Would Preferably Take Napoli Centre Back Kalidou Koulibaly Over Defender Jules Kounde 

Report: Blues Boss Thomas Tuchel Would Preferably Take Napoli Centre Back Kalidou Koulibaly Over Defender Jules Kounde - Sports Illustrated Chelsea FC News, Analysis and More Skip to main content

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel still wants two more centre-backs after Kalidou Koulibaly 

© Provided by Metro The German wants to seriously upgrade his defensive options (Pictures: Getty) Kalidou Koulibaly will not be the only centre-back Chelsea sign this summer with manager Thomas Tuchel keen to add two more central defenders to his ranks, according to reports. The west London club are close to agreeing a £33.8million fee with Napoli for the Senegal international, though the structure of the deal and personal terms still need to be worked on. At this stage, neither of those are expected to be a problem and Koulibaly has been offered a three-year deal with the option of a fourth. But the 31-year-old will not be the only new centre-back arriving at Stamford Bridge this summer if Tuchel gets his way. According to The Athletic, Chelsea are pushing hard to sign Nathan Ake from Manchester City and want to wrap up the deal within the next week. The Blues have been in talks with the Premier League champions for some time, having already agreed a fee of £47.5million for Raheem Sterling – who only has one year left on his contract. A deal for Ake – who has a longer-term contract – is expected to cost around £45m and talks are progressing well. © Provided by Metro A deal for Ake could be wrapped up within the next week (Picture: Getty) Chelsea actually had the option to re-buy the Netherlands international for £40m as part of his move to Bournemouth in 2017 but declined at the time. Personal terms will not be an issue, with Ake keen to return to Stamford Bridge, and he will count as a club-trained homegrown player. Once deals for Koulibaly and Ake have been wrapped up, Tuchel still wants to bring in a third, experienced centre-back. According to The Telegraph, Presnel Kimpembe is the third central defender Chelsea are looking to recruit, with Paris Saint-Germain open to letting the Frenchman leave this summer. Tuchel worked with the 26-year-old during his time in charge of PSG and is a big fan of the defender, while he also knows Thiago Silva well having lined up alongside the Brazilian for several seasons. Chelsea have all but given up on signing Juventus star Matthijs de Ligt at this stage, while Jules Kounde has dropped down their list of targets with Barcelona appearing to be at the front of the queue for the Sevilla man. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Kalidou Koulibaly Wants To Play For Thomas Tuchel As Chelsea Set To Beat Barcelona To Transfer 

Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly wants to play under Chelsea boss Tohmas Tuchel amid interest from the Blues, according to reports. The 31-year-old looks set to depart the Serie A side this summer amid interest from several top European clubs. With just a year remaining on his contract in Naples, Koulibaly is available at a cut-price this summer. It appears that Chelsea will win the race to sign the Senegal international, with him potentially linking up with national teammate Edouard Mendy at Stamford Bridge. The most recent reports have stated that Chelsea are preparing a £34 million offer for the colossal defender, with Tuchel looking to reinforce his backline this summer. Kalidou Koulibaly of Napoli in action during the match against Torino. (Alamy) It is believed that Koulibaly has accepted £8 million-a-season from the Blues as the transfer edges closer. The defender broke his silence on the move, stating: "I'll confirm that later, but it's on the right track.” It was previously revealed that Tuchel was pushing for the move, looking to add the central defender to his backline following the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen. Now it has been reported that Koulibaly is just as desperate to join Tuchel this summer. 

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