Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen both departed the club following the expiry of their contracts, leaving the German head coach with no choice but to delve into the transfer market. Kalidou Koulibaly joined the club from Napoli for around £34million and Jules Kounde looked set to follow the Senegalese defender through the door.
Kounde ended up joining Barcelona from Sevilla, however, and Chelsea have since turned their attention to Leicester City's Wesley Fofana. They have also been linked with Paris Saint-Germain’s Presnel Kimpembe, Manchester United's Harry Maguire, and RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol, but Fofana has always been the club’s number one choice after losing out on Kounde.
The former Saint Etienne man will likely join for over €90m – making him the most expensive defender of all time. Leicester paid £31.5m to sign Fofana in 2020 and the player even signed a five-year contract extension in March. The Foxes will make a huge profit on the 21-year-old but will need to reinvest before next week’s transfer deadline if they are to have a positive season.
