Chelsea identify summer transfer targets, including Declan Rice, Aurelien Tchouameni, Jules Kounde – Paper Round

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel is set to be backed by the board this coming summer after leading the Blues to success in the Club World Cup on Saturday. Chelsea are hoping to mount a huge Premier League title bid next season and have started to put together a summer transfer shortlist. Sevilla’s Jules Kounde is a defensive “priority”, while Antonio Rudiger has been offered a new contract worth £170,000 per week. West Ham United’s Declan Rice and Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni are being targeted for the middle of the park. Kepa Arrizabalaga, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley are all expected to leave, while Saul Niguez’s loan from Atletico Madrid will not be made permanent.

Paper Round’s view: Chelsea mean business. Tuchel’s side have won the Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup in the past 10 months and are in this month’s Carabao Cup final – but now they need to press on in the Premier League. The club will definitely feel disappointment about the demise of their title tilt, but the plans are in motion ahead of next season. Kounde, Rice and Tchouameni will add even more star quality to the squad. It’s going to be an expensive summer, but if it leads to domestic glory in next year’s campaign, it will all be worth it for Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

The Mail take a closer look at the potential transfer destinations of West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice. The England international has been linked with a summer move to one of the Premier League’s biggest clubs, with Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City all interested. Chelsea are hot favourites to secure the signature of their former academy player but would have to sell N’Golo Kante to free up space for Rice. Manchester United view a “midfield general” like Rice as a “top priority” but are in danger of not qualifying for next season’s Champions League. Elsewhere, Manchester City are still looking for a long-term replacement for Fernandinho.

Paper Round’s view: It is obvious why Chelsea are the favourites to sign Rice. He was part of their academy growing up, he has good friends there (including best mate Mason Mount) and he has alluded to the fact that he would prefer to stay in London. Manchester United don’t seem like they will be challenging for titles regularly just yet. City offer the prospect of trophies, but their deep squad means that Pep Guardiola is always rotating his line-up. Rice would be a mainstay in the Chelsea line-up for the next 10 years if he wanted to stay there. It just makes sense… if Chelsea want to cough up £100 million.

The Sun reveal a shock defensive target for Chelsea. The Club World Cup winners are being linked with a summer move for Brighton centre-back Adam Webster. Chelsea are faced with the possibility of losing defensive trio Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta for free as their current contracts are set to expire at the end of the season. The Blues would desperately need to sign replacements if the three defenders departed, but they are keen to get them signed to new extensions.

Paper Round’s view: The contract situation at Stamford Bridge has been an ongoing story for a while. Losing Rudiger for free would be a nightmare as he has been one of the best defenders in the world over the past year. Azpilicueta offers invaluable leadership and experience, while Christensen is still a very solid option. Webster has been very impressive since joining Brighton, but a move to Chelsea would be a huge and challenging step up. Surely the seaside club would slap a similar price tag to the one we saw Arsenal pay for Benjamin White last summer. Would Chelsea pay £50 million for Webster?

Arsenal have identified Chelsea forward Armando Broja as a summer transfer target after missing out on signing Dusan Vlahovic in January. Football London reveal that the Gunners are pursuing the 20-year-old striker, who is spending this season on loan at Southampton. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is reported to be a huge admirer of Broja. The north London club are also planning to dip into the summer transfer market to add a new right-back and central midfielder to their squad.

Paper Round’s view: Broja has been a revelation on the south coast. Everyone was expecting Adam Armstrong to be Saints’ new starting striker, but on-loan Chelsea youngster Broja has made the position his own. Arsenal will obviously face competition from Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, but there could be another couple of stumbling blocks. Will Chelsea want to keep Broja after he has shown he can be a useful option for the Blues, and would the west Londoners even want to sell an exciting young prospect to their fierce rivals?