"Negotiations in progress for both" - Fabrizio Romano confirms Chelsea are interested in signing 2 defenders after completing Koulibaly deal

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Chelsea are interested in signing two more defenders after reportedly completing a deal to sign Kalidou Koulibaly.

Romano on Wednesday (July 13) confirmed that the Blues had agreed a €40 million deal with Serie A giants Napoli for the transfer of Senegalese centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly.

The Italian journalist has claimed that Chelsea are also pursuing deals for both Nathan Ake and Presnel Kimpembe from Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, respectively. The duo are reportedly Thomas Tuchel's priorities this summer in the backline, with Matthijs de Ligt closing in on a move to Bayern Munich.

Chelsea are yet to announce the signing of Koulibaly but the club finally confirmed the signing of Raheem Sterling from Manchester City on Wednesday (July 13).

The former Liverpool winger becomes the first major arrival of the Todd Boehly era with Koulibaly likely to be the next.

Tuchel's side are currently short of options at the back following the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen. The two central defenders left the Blues this summer for Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively, on free transfers.

They currently only have Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah and Malang Sarr as options at the heart of the defense with first-team experience.

With the unveiling of Koulibaly a mere formality now, the Blues are expected to redirect their energy toward signing at least one more defender to bolster their backline.

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Nathan Ake and Presnel Kimpembe would be worthwhile additions to Chelsea

The Blues boss has already garnered a reputation for tinkering with the playing XI week in and week out. He has mostly deployed a system with three central defenders during his time at Stamford Bridge.

But for the system to work properly, Tuchel needs quality options as well as solid depth. This is where Ake and Kimpembe come in. The duo could be great additions to their defense due to a number of reasons.

Tuchel already knows Kimpembe very well, having managed him formerly at Paris Saint-Germain.

Ake, on the other hand, is a former Chelsea player and has proven himself in the Premier League over the years.

Most importantly, they are aged 26 and 27, respectively, which means they have just entered their prime as footballers.

Signing Ake and Kimpembe after Koulibaly would make Tuchel's defense immensely strong both in terms of quality and depth.