Chelsea have reportedly drawn up a shortlist of defensive targets, including Villarreal's Pau Torres and RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, in case Barcelona successfully hijack their deal for Jules Kounde.
Chelsea had hoped to complete the signing of Sevilla defender Kounde this week after reaching an agreement with the Spanish club over a €60 million transfer fee, while the Blues have already agreed personal terms with the France international for a five-year contract.
Barcelona had initially appeared to rule themselves out of pursuing Kounde but reports in the past few days have claimed the Catalans have entered the race for the 23-year-old's signature and are increasingly confident of beating Chelsea to yet another transfer target this summer. Barcelona have already signed Brazilian winger Raphinha, who appeared set to join the Blues before Barca expressed their interest.
It is being reported that Kounde, who is with the Sevilla squad at their pre-season training camp, will wait for Barcelona's offer to weigh up his options before deciding on his next move.
Should Kounde shun Chelsea for Barcelona, reports have claimed the Premier League club have compiled a list of alternatives as manager Thomas Tuchel desperately attempts to bolster his defensive ranks ahead of the new season.
Those targets reportedly include Villarreal's Spain international centre-back Torres, versatile Croatian defender Gvardiol of Leipzig, and Slovakia captain Milan Skriniar of Inter Milan. Also understood to be on the shortlist are Bayern Munich pair Dayot Upamecano and Benjamin Pavard, and Paris Saint-Germain's Presnel Kimpembe.
Tuchel has repeatedly expressed his determination to recruit new defenders following the departures of Antonio Rudiger to Real Madrid and Andreas Christensen to Barcelona, both on free transfers. Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly has been signed from Napoli but Tuchel said he wants "at least" two more defenders.
That number could increase further if Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta and left-back Marcos Alonso are granted their wishes to join Barcelona, although the Blues are reluctant to do business with Barca after growing increasingly frustrated with their conduct this summer.
Chelsea had been in advanced negotiations with Manchester City over a return to Stamford Bridge for Nathan Ake, only for those talks to ultimately break down, while discussions with PSG over Kimpembe have been ongoing for a couple of weeks without a significant breakthrough.
It all contributes to the sense of frustration at Chelsea, where transfer activity has been slow and their disappointing pre-season form led to Tuchel lambasting his players after the 4-0 defeat to Arsenal in Orlando on Saturday.
In addition to Koulibaly, the Blues have signed England forward Raheem Sterling from City to help fill the gap in attack left by Romelu Lukaku, who returned to Inter Milan on loan. But the priority is defensive reinforcements and Tuchel has been clear about what he wants.
"We are looking for guys who can play on the left side," Tuchel told the Chelsea website. "Toni [Rudiger] played on the left side and was not a left-footed guy, so maybe Kalidou can play there because he plays in a back-four on the left side, but let’s see what is possible.
"It is not only about bringing players in for numbers; we need numbers, we also need quality so we will make some decisions late, not only about players but also about systems. Ideally we would have a left-footer."
Chelsea complete their pre-season preparations with a friendly against Serie A side Udinese in Italy on Friday, before opening their Premier League campaign with an away trip to Everton next Saturday, August 6.
