Chelsea's pre-season has not gone to plan with Thomas Tuchel delivering some brutal verdicts.
It has been a summer of change at Stamford Bridge with new faces arriving in the director's box as well as on the pitch. Several major faces left when their contracts expired which has forced the Blues into a recruitment drive, with a particular focus on their backline.
Tuchel saw his side finish third last term, although they were notably off the pace and will be aiming to close the gap as they remain on the hunt for new signings with Jules Kounde still on their radar. Here are the latest news lines coming from west London.
Late bid fails
Nordi Mukiele has bid a classy farewell to RB Leipzig ahead of his £13.5million transfer to Paris Saint-Germain despite late efforts from the Blues.
The news serves as yet another blow having already been snubbed by the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Matthijs de Ligt and Raphinha. As well as their attack, Chelsea were looking to rebuild their defence this summer following the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, with Mukiele identified as an ideal candidate.
Even at the eleventh hour Chelsea fancied their chances. According to Foot Mercato, the Blues made a late bid to hijack PSG's swoop. Having learned that the French giants had come to an agreement with Leipzig which will see them pay an initial £10.1m, the Blues are said to have informed the Bundesliga side that they were willing to do a deal that could also see Timo Werner return.
Tuchel's striker issue
Thomas Tuchel could lose two strikers in one window with Timo Werner reportedly attracting interest from Germany.
The forward has been at Chelsea for two years, but he's been unable to rediscover the form he showed in the Bundesliga. As a result the Blues added Romelu Lukaku last summer, but he too struggled to find the net and has since left for Inter Milan.
Werner could now follow him out the door with Sky Germany reporting that RB Leipzig are keen on bringing the player back to his homeland. The German has only scored 23 times for the Blues and is far from a guaranteed starter under Tuchel.
Rudiger's new role
Antonio Rudiger made his Real Madrid debut playing at left-back after manager Carlo Ancelotti deployed the former Chelsea defender in a new position.
Los Blancos were beaten 1-0 by bitter rivals Barcelona in an ill-tempered pre-season friendly on Saturday in Las Vegas. Rudiger was making his first start for Real, but Los Blancos boss stuck with Eder Militao and David Alaba at centre-back. Ancelotti though is confident his new recruit can be a versatile success.
"I liked him [Rudiger] a lot. I am not crazy and he is very intelligent," Ancelotti explained when asked about the decision post-match. "He can play in that position, just as he can also change in the match with Alaba. They didn't do so today, because it went well. [Alaba] as a left-back... only when necessary. I don't want to change the pair from last year."
