Chelsea are set to be one of the busiest clubs in the Premier League this summer as they look to close to the gap on Liverpool and Manchester City at the top of the table.
Thomas Tuchel's side came third last term but have plenty of work to do to improve on that position. Under the ownership of Todd Boehly's consortium, transfer planning can finally get underway and a raft of names have already been linked with moves to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are eager to bolster every position on the pitch for next season while a number of big names could still join Antonio Rudiger out the door. With that in mind, football.london takes a look at the latest rumours from the club.
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Chelsea eye Barcelona wonderkid
According to Mundo Deportivo, Chelsea have contacted Alejandro Balde's representatives as they hope to complete a transfer for the Barcelona left-back in the coming weeks. The 18-year-old, who is said to have a £427million release clause in his contract at Camp Nou, is a product of the Spanish giants' academy, and has recently broken into the first-team.
He's was only afforded seven appearances over the course of the season, though spending the majority of his time with the club's B team. It's believed that the Blues have approached the Catalan side to enquire about Balde's availability this summer, while also contacting his agent Jorge Mendes to register their interest.
Latest on Jules Kounde
Jules Kounde is reportedly in advanced talks with Barcelona, despite having been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea. The west Londoners remain hopeful of signing the Sevilla defender this summer having had him on their radar for some time now.
Personal terms have been agreed with Kounde for a while, football.london understand, but a deal still needs to be struck with the Spanish giants to sanction the Frenchman's sale. However, they've received a setback, with Barcelona eager to hijack Chelsea's deal, according to the Daily Mail.
Chelsea offered ideal defender as part of Romelu Lukaku deal
Chelsea are coming around to the idea that they will be without Romelu Lukaku next season as the Belgian striker nears a return to Italy. The Blues are prepared to send the striker out on loan next season, with former club Inter Milan prepared to take back the forward that they sold for £97.5million last summer.
He is now keen to leave London after just a single season back in England and is reportedly ready to take a pay cut to ensure he can get out, with Chelsea currently in negotiations with Inter about sending him out on loan.
And, according to La Gazzetta Dello Sport, Inter could even make the deal sweeter for Chelsea by helping them out with one of their own problem areas in the transfer market and giving them a chance to sign defender Denzel Dumfries as part of the deal to bring Lukaku back to the San Siro.
Inter value Dumfries at around £40million but could let him go for less if it meant securing Lukaku's return. It seems both clubs are eager to get the deal done sooner rather than later, with the same report suggesting that the Belgian will be undergoing his Inter medical as soon as next week.
