Chelsea will bring a "big-name" defender to Stamford Bridge this summer, says Dean Jones.

The west London club are starting to lose hope over signing Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus, according to Jones, but the transfer insider has told GIVEMESPORT that Thomas Tuchel is still likely to get his marquee centre-back.

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What is the latest news involving De Ligt?

Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic was recently in Turin to discuss a potential transfer for De Ligt with Juventus.

While the £63m-rated 22-year-old is high on Chelsea's list, it is believed that he prefers a move to the German giants.

It is a frustrating revelation for Tuchel, who needs to sign a couple of new centre-halves and quickly.

The Blues are now without Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen and have already started their pre-season.

What has Jones said about Chelsea's centre-back hunt?

Jones has told Chelsea fans not to panic, as the Premier League outfit have other big-name defenders on their shortlist like Kalidou Koulibaly, who now looks likely to join them based on reports.

Speaking to GMS, the journalist said: "Chelsea are starting to lose hope over a De Ligt deal, but fans should not panic because I keep being assured that a big name will arrive as well as [Nathan] Ake.

"The usual suspects are on the list - [Jules] Kounde, Koulibaly - but [Presnel] Kimpembe and [Milan] Skriniar are also on the radar."

Is Koulibaly a good alternative to De Ligt?

Without a doubt. The Senegal international is a very experienced defender and a real leader.

Speaking about Koulibaly last September, Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti told DAZN (via Football Italia): "He really is remarkable. He always adds those two or three notches more than anyone else. He’s an extraordinary leader and a great man. We are what we do, not what we say."

In terms of what footballing attributes he would bring to Stamford Bridge, Koulibaly has ranked in the 87th percentile for tackles and the 98th for dribbles among centre-backs over the last year (via FBref). The former Genk man is a very solid defender but also has a lot of technical skill.

With just one year to run on his contract, you would not expect him to cost too much either. Considering that and all of the above, Chelsea should do everything in their power to sign Koulibaly now De Ligt no longer looks to be an option.