New Chelsea owner Todd Boehly will provide Thomas Thuchel with £200 million to spend in what is set to be a chaotic summer in West London.
Tuchel’s side are set to lose several players as their contracts will run out, meaning it will be in dire need of bolstering. The defensive areas will be particularly threadbare, with Antonio Rudiger seemingly agreeing a move to Real Madrid, while Andreas Christensen, Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso all appear close to signing for Barcelona.
The Blues finished the 2021/22 season in third place, trailing title winners Manchester City by 19 points, so Boehly will be keen to back Tuchel financially as they look to close that gap.
The futures of Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic have been thrown into doubt, while midfielders N’Golo Kante and Jorginho have one year left on their deals. Substantial reinforcements are likely to be necessary.
The Telegraph reports that Boehly has granted Tuchel a war chest of up to £200 million after player sales, and thus the club have drawn up an extensive list of 8 targets. With several defenders likely departing, a significant portion of this list is likely to be made up of defensive options.
Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde is rumoured to be at the top of Tuchel’s wishlist, while RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol is another the German manager is supposedly keen on. Other names include Pau Torres and Jose Maria Gimenez, while Raheem Sterling has emerged as a shock target.
Declan Rice has also been touted as a potential replacement for one of Chelsea’s outgoing midfielders, while the likes of Ivan Perisic and even Neymar have been linked to the Blues in recent days.