Chelsea remain open to completing the Kounde transfer at the price they had previously agreed, thought to be around £43m plus add-ons, but negotiations stalled over the weekend.

That could also be the case with Saul should he get the green light on a loan.

Local newspaper Diario de Sevilla claim that it is only ‘a matter of time’ before the 22-year-old is announced as a Chelsea player.

The player has apparently flown out of Spain and is waiting for news of his departure from Sevilla in Paris.

Tuchel has wanted to add a new defender due to a few issues in his ranks. Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger have entered the final year of their contracts and are yet to sign new deals.

Fellow centre-back Kurt Zouma has completed his transfer to West Ham for £25m.