Chelsea are set to return for highly-rated French international center-back Jules Koundé as the club are in the final stages of having a completed takeover bid usher in a new era at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have a long-standing interest in the 23-year-old Sevilla standout dating back to last summer, and the need for Chelsea to secure new options at the heart of the defense has become urgent with Antonio Rüdiger Real Madrid-bound this summer, and the German international set to be followed out the door by Andreas Christensen who will be without a club come July and with Barcelona still sniffing around the Danish defender.

Though there is certainly an avenue for Koundé to access to secure a move to the Premier League outfit, who Chelsea intend to target as their second recruit in the center of defense remains to be seen after Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig have ruled out a summer departure for highly-touted youngster Joško Gvardiol, who is happy in Saxony and has no intention of considering a move away from the club after just one year of service.

Should a deal for Koundé be found, Chelsea still must negotiate the summer market expertly to replace two key pieces under manager Thomas Tuchel, with just Thiago Silva, Malang Sarr, and Trevoh Chalobah the other available center-back options as the Blues look to close the gap to Manchester City and Liverpool in 2022-23.