Chelsea look to have accelerated their pursuit of signing a new centre-half amid continued uncertainty regarding the futures of Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, according to various reports.
As things stand, the trio will leave the club at the end of the season, with new agreements yet to be reached.
As per German journalist Christian Falk, promising signals have come out of the Germany international's camp, suggesting that Rudiger is making it a 'priority' to stay at Chelsea beyond this season.
But, the ongoing doubt has encouraged Marina Granovskaia to draw up a summer transfer contingency plan that anticipates the defensive exodus.
Jules Kounde has headlined Thomas Tuchel's mission to bolster his defensive reinforcements, but former Blues defender and Cobham graduate Fikayo Tomori have already handed Chelsea the ultimatum they need.
According to Marca, the Blues have shortlisted AC Milan centre-half, Alessio Romagnoli, as a potential target.
Romagnoli's current deal with the Rossoneri expires at the end of the season, making him available for free in the summer.
The 27-year-old, who despite wearing the captain's armband, has become Tomori's understudy at the San Siro since the England international swapped west London for Milan.
Romagnoli is an experienced Serie A defender with over 200 appearances to his name. The Italian international is left-footed and a proven leader who has attended AC Milan's defending university for nearly seven years.
At the height of his powers, the centre-half was valued at £45m by Transfermakrt, making him one of Europe's most expensive defenders.
However, the arrival of Tomori sidelined the Italian, which has handed Chelsea the ultimatum they need when conducting their search for a new centre-half in the summer.
Granovskaia must either take the club's business elsewhere and not be drawn into a 'revenge-style' pre-contract offer or just cut the Blues' losses and bring Tomori back to Stamford Bridge.
However, the latter may be a tough prospect following the 24-year-old's infatuation with club legend and technical director Paolo Maldini.
The all-time great defender showered Tomori with praise ahead of the Italian side's clash with Manchester United in the Europa League last season, to which the Englishman responded starry-eyed.
"It's a good feeling, and to hear something like this obviously gives me confidence, but I just want to carry on doing what I'm doing that's got me to this stage and go even further," he said.
"Obviously, it's very nice to hear that from one, if not the, greatest defenders to have played the game."
Follow our CareFree Chelsea trends writer Jake Stokes on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts in the comments section below.Make sure you have subscribed to CareFree Chelsea on YouTube! The Fan Brands team, along with plenty of your football.london favourites, will be producing daily Chelsea content for you to enjoy, including match reactions, podcasts, football fun and interviews.
