After spending five seasons at Chelsea, Antonio Rudiger will leave the London club in the summer upon the expiration of his contract and will head to Spain to join Real Madrid.
The deal is very close according to Sky Sports and the Blues have identified his replacement, who will be flying in the opposite direction.
Sevilla’s Jules Kounde has long been a target for the Blues and it is likely that Tuchel would have signed the Frenchman anyway, even if Rudiger stayed, but that’s not the case anymore and the 23-year-old will replace the German at the heart of the Chelsea manager’s defence.
Chelsea will pay €60million for the Sevilla centre-back, plus add-ons, which are normally performance-related, reports Todofichajes and this would be a huge signing for Tuchel’s side for the new campaign.
Kounde is an incredible footballer and has the potential to develop into the best centre-back in the world. The Frenchman has incredible recovery speed, which is useful for playing a high line; and in addition to that, the youngster is athletic, technically good with the ball and loves to carry the ball up the pitch with his speed – a Rudiger trait that is popular with Chelsea fans.
In fact, the Sevilla defender is an upgrade on the outgoing German and at 23-years-old will help Tuchel to close the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool next season.