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Chelsea could be going through a squad overhaul in the summer transfer window this season. New owner Todd Boehly appears to be a busy man trying to bring in new faces to Stamford Bridge.
One particular area where Chelsea need strong reinforcement are the positions of centre-backs. Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen have left the club on free transfers, which means the Blues are left with Malang Sarr, Trevoh Chalobah and Thiago Silva as the only senior centre-backs in the squad.
Levi Colwill is set to rejoin the squad after spending last season on loan at Huddersfield Town. He is tipped to be a decent player but is far from being a certified starter yet.
The Blues have been linked with several defenders in the market, with many of them playing their football in Serie A. In this list, we will rank them based on their likelihood of a transfer to Stamford Bridge this summer.
#5 Kalidou Koulibaly - Napoli
Senegalese centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly has been linked with a move away from Napoli this summer. The 31-year-old defender has only one year left on his current contract in Naples.
According to Football Italia (quoting Il Corriere Della Sera), his agent is in London to hold talks with the Blues. Kalidou Koulibaly is one of the better centre-backs in Serie A. The Senegalese captain also won the Africa Cup of Nations in January this year.
The stumbling block in this transfer could be Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis. He is a film producer and a shrewd businessman. The Italian loves to drive hard bargains. Chelsea experienced that first hand when they bought Jorginho from Napoli in 2018 for £50 million (initial fee).
Should the Blues sign Koulibaly. he would bring leadership and quality to the position that was vacated by Antonio Rudiger.
#4 Milan Skriniar - Inter Milan
Milan Skriniar is a 27-year-old centre-back who plays for Inter Milan and is one of their best defenders. Inter would ideally not like to sell Skriniar, but due to financial constraints, they might need to cash in on one of their several centre-backs.
Chelsea have already done business with Inter after loaning Romelu Lukaku to the San Siro for oneseason.
Chelsea have a good relationship with Inter and their owner Steven Zhang, and there is scope for a deal to be done. The problem for Chelsea in this deal is that Paris Saint-Germain are interested and have already reportedly contacted the player. PSG also have money to spend and would likely outbid Chelsea. Alfredo Pedulla has reported that Inter are likely to accept PSG's bid for Skriniar.
#3 Jules Koundé - Sevilla
Jules Koundé to Chelsea looked like a done deal a few weeks ago. It changed once Todd Boehly began to run the transfer business as the club parted ways Marina Granovskaia.
According to Football.London, Koundé was a signing that was driven by the club's former board level members. There seems to be a deal to be done but the news has gone cold in the media for quite a few days.
Football.London has reported that the French centre-back is desperate to land the transfer before the pre-season. However, Sevilla are also keen to maximise on his sale. Chelsea, for their bit, seem to be playing with several options before firmly landing on their final target.
#2 Matthijs de Ligt - Juventus
Matthijs de Ligt has burst onto the scene as a Chelsea target over the last two weeks, and Boehly is not worried about spending big to get the Dutch defender. At 22 years old, de Ligt is still young, but he is a born leader and already an experienced centre-back.
According to the Telegraph, Boehly is looking at swap deals or adding players to a bid, and Juventus are interested in Timo Werner and Christian Pulisic.
The German is more likely to join the Italian giants, and Werner is open to a move. Pulisic, despite wanting more game time, is unlikely to leave given his age and potential.
The club are negotiating to bring down the fee to a more digestible price, given that Juventus initially wanted €100 million for De Ligt.
#1 Nathan Aké - Manchester City (Ex-Chelsea player)
Nathan Aké is a name that came out of nowhere, but Chelsea are looking to bring the Dutchman back to London. Aké was sold to Bournemouth in January 2017 and was bought by Manchester City during the summer of 2020.
The Dutch centre-back is left-footed and can play in a back four or back three while also pulling a shift at left-back. Aké had a strong end to the 2021-2022 season for the Cityzens.
Aké would bring Premier League experience and would be a low-risk signing for the Blues. Still only 27 years old, Aké has potential for growth at the club. No deal is done until the player has signed the contract and is holding up the shirt. The deal for Aké seems close and a fee could be agreed soon according to Football.London, who are quoting journalist Matteo Moretto for this news.
