Chelsea victim of £55m transfer hijack as PSG star Thomas Tuchel ‘wants’ lined up as alternative

Chelsea are coming towards the end of the Stateside leg of their pre-season tour.

The Blues lost on penalties to Charlotte during the week and will face Arsenal in the early hours of Sunday morning.

After that, Chelsea will stop off in Italy for a clash with Udinese before returning to London ready to kick off the new season in just under two weeks’ time.

In the meantime, the Blues continue to work on new deals, still needing to fill key gaps, and with that in mind, we have rounded up all the latest transfer news and rumours surrounding Stamford Bridge.

Koundé blow

Chelsea are set to have missed out on Jules Koundé at the 11th hour.

The Blues were set to snap up the centre-back on a £55million deal, but Gerard Romero says Barcelona have agreed a deal right at the last minute.

Chelsea could miss out on a deal as a result, leaving them short of a centre-back amid two key departures this summer.

Kimpembe deal backed

Chelsea are said to be turning to Presnel Kimpembe in a bid to address their defensive issues.

The Evening Standard say Chelsea are in talks over a £50million deal for the PSG Star.

Journalist Dean Jones told GiveMeSport: “There’s no doubt at all that Tuchel wants this guy.

“Kimpembe is definitely somebody that they are trying to close in on at the moment.”

Outgoings issue

Chelsea are working away on incomings, but they will also want to offload a number of players this summer.

The Blues have a number of players who will not be part of Thomas Tuchel’s plans in the coming season, including the likes of Kepa Arrizabalaga.

But according to The Telegraph, Chelsea are struggling to attract offers for some of those fringe players as they look to trim their squad.