Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is keen to find some new centre-backs this summer and has been tipped to strike deals for both Brighton's Lewis Dunk and Manchester City's John Stones.
The Blues conceded a historically poor 79 goals in all competitions this season, which was their worst return in 30 years, and were were fortunate that their defensive frailties didn't cost them a spot in next season's Champions League.
Antonio Rüdiger, Andreas Christensen, Kurt Zouma and Fikayo Tomori all have been linked with moves away from Stamford Bridge in some capacity, and a whole host of names have been mentioned as potential replacements.
According to The Sun, the man at the top of the wish list is Brighton's Lewis Dunk, with a £40m move said to be close to completion after Chelsea declined to meet West Ham's £80m asking price for Declan Rice.
If Dunk does join, Lampard is not expected to stop there – The Mirror reporting that a loan bid for long-time target Stones could well arrive at City's door.
Chelsea famously missed out on Stones back in the summer of 2016, when he instead opted to head to the Etihad in a £50m deal. Since then, his reputation has taken somewhat of a tumble, but he still retains some fans at Chelsea.
Whether either of these moves will actually come to fruition is a whole new question. Most of the rumours surrounding Chelsea's defensive search have involved Rice and Atlético Madrid's José Giménez, although there is an acceptance that neither player would come cheap.
With Chelsea hopeful of throwing around £80m at Bayer Leverkusen's Kai Havertz and following that up with a move for Leicester City left-back Ben Chilwell, there may well not be much money left over to find a new centre-back.
In that sense, a loan for Stones makes a lot of sense, but the problem is that the 26-year-old is seen as someone capable of making more than a few individual errors - something which Chelsea have been plagued with this season.
He only really fits the bill in terms of his price tag, but with Lampard desperate to actually get things right this summer, the idea of Stones arriving at the Bridge seems a little unlikely.
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Source : 90min