Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Chelsea remain in talks to sign Sevilla defender Jules Kounde.
What has Romano said about Chelsea's pursuit of Kounde?
Speaking on The Here We Go Podcast, Romano said: "Chelsea want Kounde, they are negotiating for Kounde and I think in the next days we will have a final answer on this deal because Chelsea are working on Jules Kounde as a priority at centre-back.”
He also discussed the potential for Kurt Zouma to be part of the deal, saying: “Negotiations are still ongoing for Kounde and Chelsea, with Zouma included but they are also thinking of removing Zouma from the deal if he wants to go to another club in the Premier League, and maybe look for Kounde with another player in the deal or only for Kounde."
Have Chelsea reached a TOTAL AGREEMENT over Romelu Lukaku? Find out on The Football Terrace...
Has there been an update on Zouma's situation?
It now appears that Chelsea may not be able to sell Zouma to a fellow Premier League club, as the 26-year-old is reportedly not keen on moving to West Ham.
The Hammers have been linked with signing Zouma in recent days but the 6 foot 3 defender has indicated that he does not want to move to the east London club. Whether this affects a potential deal for Kounde remains to be seen.
Are Chelsea leaving their transfer business a little late this summer?
It could be argued that they are.
Last year, they did their business relatively early in the transfer window, bringing in the likes of Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Ben Chilwell a number of weeks before the season got underway.
Things have been different this time around, though, as they are yet to significantly strengthen their squad, with the start of their league campaign just 10 days away.
Where would Kounde fit into Chelsea's back three?
Chelsea's back line was a key strength at the back end of last season as they kept Manchester City at bay to win the Champions League final.
However, it should be noted that Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta are now both into their thirties. Kounde looks to be an ideal candidate to replace either of the experienced duo, who will need to be carefully managed by Tuchel during the side's congested fixture list next term.
Kounde was able to play 34 league matches in 2020/21, so he can be relied upon to feature regularly, allowing the Chelsea boss to monitor the workloads of Silva and Azpilicueta throughout the year.