Chelsea ace Thiago Silva gives Todd Boehly pointed transfer nudge by liking Instagram post

Roman Abramovich's Chelsea ownership in numbers

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Thiago Silva may have dropped a massive hint to new owner Todd Boehly over which defender he would like Chelsea to sign this summer. The Blues are expected to recruit at least two, with several poised to leave west London in the coming weeks, and the Brazilian’s social media activity suggests that he would fully support a swoop for Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly. 

Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger have already agrees moves from Chelsea to Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively. That leaves Thomas Tuchel with two first-team vacancies to fill, and he has wasted no time in putting together a defensive wish list. 

Links involving Sevilla’s Jules Kounde and RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol have both made plenty of noise, with the former expected to complete his move to Stamford Bridge shortly after Boehly is able to act freely in the transfer market. 

But Koulibaly is also rumoured to be on Chelsea’s radar, and on a recent Instagram post suggesting that the Napoli star would be keen on a move to the Premier League, Silva is among those to have ‘liked’. 

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Silva removed the ‘like’ on the post once word began to spread of his apparent preference, but proof of the social media hint was already relayed by Blues journalist Simon Phillips. A back three including Silva and 30-year-old Koulibaly would come with a wealth of experience and athleticism, even if neither have youth on their side. 

But the third spot would remain open to one of Tuchel’s younger squad members. Trevoh Chlobah impressed when called upon last season, and Levi Colwill could be set for a step up in responsibility if he is phased into the side upon his return from a loan spell with Huddersfield Town. 

Chelsea appear to have big plans for the summer after missing out on the Premier League title by 19 points. There is a big gap to close between themselves, Liverpool and Manchester City, but new owner Boehly and the rest of his consortium will be keen to show fans that they have the financial muscle to ensure the club remain competitive. 

With a defensive shake-up effectively forced upon them, an area of the squad that could be subjected to a voluntary reshuffle is in attack. Romelu Lukaku’s £98million move from Inter Milan has not worked out, and the Belgian’s camp are reportedly exploring avenues that could see him return to the San Siro while Chelsea eye the likes of Lautaro Martinez and Christopher Nkunku.

How many of Chelsea’s transfer market ambitions materialise remains to be seen, but after a narrow final-day win over Watford, Tuchel was braced for a busy summer. “We will miss Rudiger, we will miss Christensen and a lot of other guys, maybe,” he admitted.

“We have to start rebuilding to be competitive. When we finally have the ability to act we need to see if we can build a competitive team, because this is what we want.”

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