Chelsea has arguably been the outstanding defensive team across Europe this season. However, as Chelsea's centre-back contract situation becomes increasingly tenuous, potential replacements will be needed.
It has been well reported that Antonio Rudiger is willing to hear bids from clubs around Europe as Chelsea are failing to meet the player's demands despite both Thomas Tuchel and Rudiger wanting to stay. Equally, reports have been increasing in recent weeks linking him to Real Madrid and Bayern Munich as well as club legend Cesar Azpilicueta with a move back to Spain to help rebuild Barcelona.
Hopefully, Andreas Christensen is here to stay despite some eerie turbulence, and Trevoh Chalobah is looking more than capable of being a leading central defender for Chelsea over the coming half-decade at least.
Fenerbahçe's Hungarian centre back Attila Szalai, 23, has been consistently rumoured to be joining Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea and quotes from the Hungarian national team manager Marco Rossi sparked fresh interest:
Clearly, he [Szalai] has been followed by important clubs in Spain, but apparently his move to Chelsea, I believe, is almost a done deal.'
Attila Szalai has predominantly played on the left-hand side of a back three in Fenerbahçe's 3-4-3 system, operating in the same spaces as Antonio Rudiger. However, Szalai does not step forward to the same extent as Rudiger, but then again, who does?
However, both Matt Law from the Telegraph and Nizaar Kinsella from Goal have tweeted claiming these reports are untrue.
This suggests that Chelsea are sticking to their new transfer policy of focusing on primary targets and getting those primary targets. I do not need to list the signings Chelsea have made recently, but all of them could be considered, without much doubt, to be primary targets.
Jules Kounde is well reported to be Chelsea's ideal target at centre half in conjunction with maintaining a keen eye on the progress of academy starlet Levi Colwill who is spending the season on loan at Huddersfield.
Sevilla's French sensation Jules Kounde is well known to be one of the very best young central defenders across Europe, ranking in the top 10% of almost every measurable passing and progression metrics available. Kounde is adept in the air too, despite his height. Therefore, he can conceivably be viewed as the heir to Antonio Rudiger if the Germany international can not come to a contract agreement with Chelsea.
Alongside Marina Granovskaia's firm transfer policy, there has been an obvious emphasis on ingratiating youth talent into the first team and judging by the quality of Levi Colwill's performances in the Championship for Huddersfield this season, expect him to make an appearance in Chelsea's first team soon.
From the ownership down to the players and fans, everyone at Chelsea is aware that success in every competition is the priority. By sticking to their firm transfer policy in combination with youth improvement will only continue Chelsea's two-decade period of collecting silverware.
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