Chelsea will come back in for Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde in the summer transfer window as Thomas Tuchel makes him the club's top priority.
Kounde came close to moving to Stamford Bridge prior to the start of the 2021/22 campaign.
A deal appeared to be imminent only for the Spanish side to ultimately pull out of negotiations late in the transfer window, leaving Chelsea short on time to source an alternative.
Tuchel is preparing for a mass defensive exodus at the end of the season with Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen looking increasingly likely to depart on free transfers while Antonio Rudiger's future also remains unresolved.
Tying the German down to a new deal is seen as essential by many supporters, but his manager has remained impressed with his displays despite the constant talk about his future.
“You know how I was full of praise for him, well deserved. You know how important he is, I said many times," Tuchel told a pre-match press conference at the end of January.
"This is the importance he has, he deserves at the moment. The talks, negotiations are ongoing. No news. If we talk about the if, if it happens.”
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The Blues are planning for every eventuality, however, and The Telegraph have reported that Kounde is the club's top priority ahead of the summer.
The 23-year-old is valued at £54million by Transfermarkt and, given his age, is likely to be viewed as an investment for the next six or seven years.
Kounde has played 19 times for Sevilla in La Liga this season as they chase down an unlikely title, currently sat four points behind Real Madrid in second place.
Declan Rice and Aurelien Tchouameni also remain targets for Chelsea ahead of the summer as Tuchel considers the futures of both Jorginho and N'Golo Kante.
