Bayern Munich defender Niklas Sule is set to stay with the German side, despite reported interest from Chelsea this summer.
Thomas Tuchel's men clinched their second Champions League trophy last month, defeating Pep Guardiola's Manchester City 1-0 at the Estadio do Dragao in Porto thanks to a first-half goal from Kai Havertz.
Despite their success last season, the German reportedly wants to bring in some fresh faces this summer in an attempt to challenge City for the Premier League title next year and football.london understands that the former Dortmund boss is interested in signing a defender, a midfielder and a striker in the coming months.
Chelsea have been linked with several elite centre-halves - with the likes of Sevilla's Jules Kounde and Bayer Leverkusen's Edmond Tapsoba both mentioned as potential targets.
Another defender who has been named as one of Tuchel's options is German international Sule, who has just one year left on his contract with the Bavarian outfit.
However, the 25-year-old is set to sign a new deal with the Bundesliga champions, according to German outlet Bild.
This could be a blessing in disguise for the Blues, given there are undoubtedly better options on the market than Sule, ones that would be available for a similar price and would also fit into Tuchel's system better.
Both the aforementioned Tapsoba and Kounde have a skill set that is more suited to the Premier League and, more specifically, Chelsea's style of play.
Tapsoba boasts impressive defensive numbers, having averaged 2.36 tackles, 1.49 interceptions and 2.31 blocks per 90 last season, much higher than Sule's 1.93 tackles, 1.19 interceptions and 1.56 blocks in those categories.
The Burkina Faso international would likely command a fee of around £60million, a steep price but one that is more than reasonable considering he is just 22-years-old and has elite pace, strength and an astute reading of the game, attributes that are all vital to possess in order to succeed in the Premier League.
Similarly, Kounde profiles at an elite level, particularly when studying his ball-playing statistics, something that is crucial to have if a defender is to flourish in Tuchel's 3-4-3 set-up.
The Frenchman registered 4.04 progressive passer per game last season, even more than veteran Blues defender Thiago Silva, who managed 3.44, an impressive feat for Kounde given Silva is heralded as one of the world's best ball-playing defenders.
The 22-year-old has a release clause of €70m (£59.8m), a price that is more than fair for one of Europe's most talented centre-halves and Kounde has admitted that he may leave Sevilla this summer.
“I may have to change clubs this summer," he told Goal.
"I have not decided anything. My goal is, one day, to evolve into a great club to always try to progress, win trophies.
"To be able to start the season each year by telling yourself that the goal is win a particular trophy. I might have to move, but that’s not relevant today."
So while Sule's transfer stance may be staying in Munich for the foreseeable future, there are plenty of other elite options out there for Tuchel to complete a dream summer transfer.
