Chelsea are reportedly in the process of formulating moves for Leicester City's Wesley Fofana and Inter Milan's Denzel Dumfries.
Having seen both Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen depart this summer, Thomas Tuchel remains keen to beef up his defence in time for the new Premier League season.
Kalidou Koulibaly has signed from Napoli, but the Blues failed to convince Jules Kounde or Matthijs de Ligt to make the move to Stamford Bridge this summer.
The Blues had agreed a £55m deal with Sevilla to sign the versatile Kounde, but Barcelona hijacked a move after Tuchel's side hesitated.
The futures of Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso are also far from certain, and Tuchel is therefore prioritising reinforcements in the backline for the remainder of the window.
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According to The Athletic, Chelsea have now turned their attention to Fofana and Dumfries, but prising the former away from the King Power Stadium will be a tall order.
Leicester forked out £31.5m to sign Fofana from Saint-Etienne in 2020, but his development was halted by a devastating fibula fracture which he sustained in pre-season last summer.
The 21-year-old was therefore restricted to just 12 appearances in the 2021-22 season but has nevertheless impressed during his time in England, winning the FA Cup in 2020-21.
Fofana extended his contract with Leicester until 2027 only a few months ago, and Brendan Rodgers's side are therefore said to value the centre-back at a staggering £80m-£85m.
The report adds that Chelsea are hoping to drive the price down by proposing a player-plus-cash deal, but Leicester will try to resist offers for the France Under-21 international.
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Fofana is already understood to have agreed personal terms with the Blues, who may have an easier time trying to prise Dumfries away from San Siro.
The Netherlands international enjoyed a productive first campaign with the Nerazzurri last term after arriving from PSV Eindhoven, recording five goals and seven assists in 45 outings.
Dumfries's contract with Inter runs until 2025, but Simone Inzaghi's side could supposedly be pressured into a sale amid their difficult financial situation.
The Nerazzurri were in talks with Paris Saint-Germain over a big-money move for centre-back Milan Skriniar, but the Ligue 1 champions are supposedly threatening to walk away from a deal due to Inter's monetary demands.
Should Chelsea also fail in their pursuits of Fofana and Dumfries, Bayern Munich's Benjamin Pavard has allegedly been offered to the capital club.
Ben Knapton
