Kalidou Koulibaly will not be the only central defender Chelsea sign with manager this summer Thomas Tuchel according to reports would like to add two more centre-backs to his ranks.
The West London be a club almost agreed to a £33.8 million fee with Napoli for the Senegal international, although work remains to be done on the structure of the deal and the personal terms.
Neither is expected to have a problem at this stage and Koulibaly has been offered a three-year contract with the option of a fourth.
But the 31-year-old won’t be the only new central defender to arrive at Stamford Bridge this summer if Tuchel has his way.
According to the athleticChelsea are committed to signing Nathan Ake from Manchester City and aiming to finalize the deal within a week.
The Blues have been in talks with the Premier League champions for some time and have already agreed a £47.5m fee for Raheem Sterling, who has only one year left on his contract.
A deal for Ake – who has a long-term contract – is expected to cost around £45 million and negotiations are progressing well.
Chelsea actually had the option to buy the Netherlands international again for £40 million as part of his move to Bournemouth in 2017, but declined at the time.
Personal terms will not be an issue, as Ake is keen to return to Stamford Bridge, and will count as a club-trained homegrown player.
Once the deals for Koulibaly and Ake are in place, Tuchel is still looking to bring in a third, experienced centre-back.
According to The TelegraphPresnel Kimpembe is the third centre-back Chelsea are looking to recruit, and Paris Saint-Germain are open to letting the Frenchman leave this summer.
Tuchel worked with the 26-year-old during his time at PSG and is a big fan of the defender, while also knowing Thiago Silva well, having spent a number of seasons alongside the Brazilian.
Chelsea have all but given up on signing Juventus star Matthijs de Ligt at this stage, while Jules Kounde has dropped their list of goals, with Barcelona appearing to be at the front of the line for the Sevilla man.
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