Chelsea have lost two first team central defenders this summer, and regardless of their plans for young talents like Levi Colwill, the Blues are determined to sign two established players to replace the departing Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, according to a source at the club.
Jules Kounde is favourite to be Chelsea’s first arrival in this window. They have been in discussions over a final fee with Sevilla for some time now, and while negotiations are dragging on, he’s still odds on to be a Blue before too long.
He’s a proven player, with European experience and France caps to boot. But he will be new to the Premier League, as would Josko Gvardiol or Kalidou Koulibaly, or most of the other premium options available to the club.
Because of the adaptation time necessary for even the most established stars coming to the top flight, Chelsea are determined to make a player with Premier League experience their second defensive signing, according to the source.
That’s why Wolves’ Max Kilman was scouted extensively last season, and it also explains the links to Nathan Ake that appeared last week.
Other, less fashionable options have also apparently been considered over the last six months, including James Tarkowski – who has now joined Everton – and Adam Webster from Brighton.
Wesley Fofana is a long-established favourite of Chelsea’s scouts, although any potential move for him will depend on the final fee paid for Kounde, as well as Leicester’s asking price.
The changes in Chelsea’s football structure in the last few days may mean an end to this summer strategy, which was formulated under the previous ownership. However it seems an eminently sensible idea to balance riskier imports with a player who can hopefully hit the ground running and slot in straight away; even if their ceiling is perhaps more limited than some of the future stars from abroad we are linked to every day in the press.
There are plenty of parts of the club’s transfer business in the Roman Abramovich era that Todd Boehly and his new team will look to change – but this might be one of the policies worth keeping as we enter a brave new world.