Who will Tuchel target this summer and who will be on their way out?

A quiet January means Chelsea could spend BIG this summer with Thomas Tuchel already eyeing star names like Rice and Dembele… so, who will they target if Rudiger and Co walk away for nothing?

  • Chelsea did not make a new senior signing in January despite numerous links 
  • A deadline-day swoop for Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele came too late 
  • Yet the Blues continue to be linked with centre backs for this summer window
  • Antonio Rudiger and captain Cesar Azpilicueta are all out of contract in June
  • Sportsmail takes a look at the likely ins and outs at Stamford Bridge this summer 

For a club with the financial might of Chelsea, flexing their financial muscles has usually been no problem in the transfer market. 

Yet after a £100million-plus outlay last summer and with squad depth only bettered by Manchester City in the Premier League, manager Thomas Tuchel opted not to sign any new senior players last month.

Despite that, focus is turning towards the summer. With some first-team stars yet to renew their contracts, who is being linked to replace them? Sportsmail takes a look at the likely ins and outs at Stamford Bridge.  

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel opted not to sign any new senior players last month

The likes of Antonio Rudiger and Cesar Azpilicueta are out of contract at the end of the season

IN

EDER MILITAO 

The Brazilian centre back is now a regular for LaLiga leaders Real Madrid after Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane left last summer and has made 30 appearances so far this season.

With the contracts of three defenders up in the air, Tuchel has reportedly asked the Blues board to sign the 24-year-old in the summer. 

The report details that Chelsea intend to probe the Spanish giants with a call at the end of the season to enquire.  

Tuchel has reportedly asked the Blues board to sign 24-year-old Eder Militao in the summer

DECLAN RICE 

Dropped from the Chelsea youth team, West Ham midfielder Rice has become a stalwart for both club and country and his development shows no sign of regressing. 

Often mooted as an option at centre back too, Rice’s links with a return to Chelsea – along with a big-money move to Man Utd – go back to Frank Lampard’s tenure at Stamford Bridge and show the Hammers will have a big task to keep the 23-year-old in east London. 

West Ham boss David Moyes has previously said a £100m fee for Rice would be a ‘bargain’ – so there’s no doubt Rice won’t come cheap for potential suitors. 

West Ham midfielder Declan Rice has become a stalwart for both club and country recently 

JULES KOUNDE 

Another ‘priority’ target this summer, Chelsea came close to landing the Sevilla centre back last year, but both clubs failed to agree a deal. 

Yet with a rumoured £75m release clause, Tuchel and the Blues will be fully aware of the money needed to land the French international. 

Alternatively, amid financial problems at the LaLiga club, a lower offer could be negotiated – yet Sevilla did reject all offers below £60m last summer.  

With a rumoured £75m release clause, Sevilla centre back Jules Kounde is a ‘priority’ target 

OUSMANE DEMBELE 

This was a deadline-day move we did not see coming, as Chelsea made an eleventh hour bid for the out-of-favour Barcelona winger. 

Tuchel has worked with Dembele previously, for one season at Borussia Dortmund, and given he is set to be available on a free transfer this summer, this could represent something of a no-brainer for the Blues. 

The Frenchman is staying at Barcelona despite their president Joan Laporta – who set an asking price of £18m in January – revealing that an offer had been received from England’s top flight. He could still move to the Premier League this year. 

Chelsea made an eleventh hour bid for the out-of-favour Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele

AURELIEN TCHOUAMENI

Tuchel’s last reported target for the summer, the Monaco midfielder has a £83m price-tag on his head amid a number of suitors. 

France international Tchouameni made his official international debut last September in a 2022 World Cup qualifier against Bosnia and Herzegovina and was part of the side which won the UEFA Nations League. 

Having been named Ligue 1’s Young Player of the Year in 2020/21, 22-year-old Tchouameni has made 31 appearances in all competitions for Monaco this season and scored twice.  

Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni has a £83m price-tag on his head this summer 

OUT

ANTONIO RUDIGER 

This story is likely to dominate off-field matters in the next few months, with the talismanic centre back and fan favourite still yet to sign an extension to his contract which expires at the end of the season. 

Reports in January stated the Blues will renew their efforts to tie down the German, with the £140,000-a-week contract offered short of the 28-year-old’s £200,000 demands. 

It will no doubt be a priority of Tuchel’s to persuade Rudiger to commit his future, as there will be no shortage of takers should he become a free agent later this year.

It will no doubt be a priority of Tuchel’s to persuade Antonio Rudiger to commit his future

CESAR AZPILICUETA 

The Chelsea captain – who lifted the Champions League last season – says he won’t decide his future until after this current international break. 

The Spaniard, 32, is keen for a contract longer than 12 months, with Barcelona waiting in the wings with a two-year deal should he leave. 

But, again, a senior player recalled upon Tuchel’s appointment last year leaving the club would be a blow for the dressing-room. 

Cesar Azpilicueta wants a contract longer than 12 months, with Barcelona waiting in the wings

ANDREAS CHRISTENSEN 

Danish defender Christensen, 25, is a target for Bayern Munich having failed to commit to a new Chelsea deal despite months of negotiations. 

The 25-year-old is entering the peak years of his career and wants a regular spot in the starting XI – he has played 13 times in the Premier League so far this season. 

What’s for sure is that these contract negotiations for three senior defenders will go some way in deciding who Chelsea will target in the next transfer window. 

Andreas Christensen is a target for Bayern having failed to commit to a new Chelsea deal

EMERSON

Currently out on loan at Lyon, Tuchel tried and failed to bring the Italy international back to Stamford Bridge last month. 

Chelsea offered the French club £3m to cut Emerson’s season-long loan with the French club in January, but they refused to accept the terms. 

He won’t be the solution to a left back shortage this season, yet despite being a player whose current deal expires in 2023, the 27-year-old seems a near-certainty to leave.   

Tuchel tried and failed to bring the Italy international back to Stamford Bridge last month




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