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#3 Pau Torres
Pau Torres, whom Chelsea could acquire as a Jules Kounde alternative, enjoyed a stellar campaign in the 2020-21 season; he played a key role in Villarreal's first major European trophy.
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The Spaniard also faced off against Chelsea in the recently-held UEFA Super Cup, where Villarreal held the heavy favourites for a 1-1 draw after extra time. The Yellow Submarines, though, lost out to Chelsea in the penalty shootout, but Torres was highly impressive throughout the course of the 120 minutes that night.
Torres was plying his trade at Segunda Division side Malaga just two years back, but has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence through his consistent performances. The Spaniard fits the description of an ideal modern centre-back. He has a towering presence in the defensive third, and possesses good speed; he can also pick out a good pass.
The likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid have been heavily linked with Pau Torres in recent years. According to several estimates, the centre-back could set Chelsea back £51 million, but could prove to be a valuable addition to the squad.
#2 Kalidou Koulibaly
Senegal's Kalidou Koulibaly has established himself as one of the finest centre-halves in the continent, and has been linked with several top clubs in the ongoing transfer window.
Chelsea will have to face off against the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid for the signature of Koulibaly, though. However, Napoli's asking price for their world-class defender could prove to be a stumbling block, as has been the case several times over the past few years.
According to the Daily Star and multiple other sources, Napoli have placed a €60 million price tag on the ageing Koulibaly. Liverpool have reportedly backed out of a deal for the Frenchman owing to differences in his valuation, as the 30-year-old will have potentially little resale value.
However, if Chelsea were to splurge the cash for Koulibaly, he would fit straight into the Blues' starting XI. Chelsea's signing of then 35-year-old Thiago Silva proved to be a masterstroke, as he's only getting better with age. Koulibaly certainly has the potential to produce something similar.
#1 Niklas Sule
According to various reports, Chelsea have earmarked Niklas Sule as one of their primary targets in the transfer market, following a stalemate in his contract negotiations.
The German is a key player in Bayern Munich's defence, but his contract is set to expire at the end of the 2021-22 season. That effectively means Sule has only six months left on his contract, and other clubs can offer the German a pre-contract offer starting in January.
The Bundesliga champions recently completed the signing of Dayot Upamecano, but will be reluctant to let Sule leave this summer. Following the departure of David Alaba, Bayern are slightly understocked in the centre-back position, and that might add a few million to Sule's asking price.
A new report by German publication Sport Bild has stated that the 30-time German champions would only consider letting Sule go for a double-digit million euro fee this summer. Chelsea have been pretty thrifty in the ongoing summer transfer window, and could splash the cash for the German international.
