Chelsea are continuing to push for the signing of Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde as Thomas Tuchel continues to sweat over a potential defensive crisis at Stamford Bridge.
Thiago Silva and Trevoh Chalobah have both recently signed new deals in west London but the same cannot be said for Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen.
As things stand, the trio will all leave the club at the end of the season when their current contracts expire, leaving them free to negotiate pre-contract agreements with teams outside the Premier League already.
Rudiger in particular is attracting a lot of interest with Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich the front runners. Barcelona are said to be interested in signing both Azpilicueta and Christensen on free transfers.
So it is perhaps no surprise that the Blues continue to chase Kounde, who they narrowly missed out on acquiring during the summer transfer window.
Sevilla's price-tag of £68million eventually saw a move collapse, despite the player reportedly agreeing terms with the Blues.
However, with Kounde still eager to join Tuchel's side, a transfer could still be on the cards and the Spanish side are now willing to drop the asking price.
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano recently revealed that the club are continuing to work hard on a deal for the France international, with Kounde considered a 'perfect' option.
“I’m told Chelsea are still working for Jules Kounde," Romano told his YouTube channel on Thursday.
"They think he has the perfect skills for Chelsea, they really love him, they are talking to people close to Kounde, another player they’ve followed is Niklas Sule"
