Chelsea have taken the next steps towards replacing Antonio Rudiger this summer, with Todd Boehly reportedly eager to help Thomas Tuchel in the transfer window. The Blues have been heavily linked with several defenders, though a deal is yet to have materialised.
The consortium led by the American billionaire, who agreed a £4.25billion deal to buy the west London club last month, are expected to 'push for A-list signings' to mark a new era at Stamford Bridge, according to the MailOnline. The new ownership group are eager to bolster the Blues' armoury and, The Telegraph report that after player sales are taken into account, Tuchel is set to have £200million to strengthen his side.
And, less than 24 hours after the summer window has opened, Boehly has reportedly set his sights on Chelsea's first signing. As quoted by Football Italia, Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport report that the Blues have sent Kalidou Koulibaly an offer, under the supervision of the LA Dodgers owner.
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The report claims that the west Londoners' offer stands at €10million (£8.5m) a year. However, Chelsea, who are said to face competition from Barcelona, are still yet to have agreed a deal with Napoli, who value the 30-year-old centre-half at €40million (£34.1m).
Koulibaly, who sees his contract with the Italian side expire at the end of next season, featured 27 times for the Italian giants in the Serie A this season, steering Gli Azzurri towards a title charge. His impressive displays have seen Luciano Spalletti's side relish the second-best defensive record in the league behind only AC Milan, who won their first Scudetto in eleven years.
With Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen not at Stamford Bridge next season, Tuchel is plotting a rebuild of his backline this summer. Speaking to football.london, the Blues boss said: "We are rebuilding, not improving the squad. We are rebuilding. This is always challenging, but we are up for the challenge.
"I don't know where we are from day one. What I can promise is that I will be here – if I can promise that – I will be here with full energy and positive energy no matter what. We will still work for Chelsea, and I refuse to think of negative scenarios. We will be competitive, on which level we will see."
football.london understand that Jules Kounde is the west London club's priority following the takeover. The Sevilla defender is keen on moving to the Blues, almost 12 months after his proposed switch to Stamford Bridge collapsed at the final hurdle.
There is a growing expectation that Chelsea will get the Kounde deal over the line this time around. But, Tuchel's search for new defenders is set to continue after that.
