Premier League: Three central defenders Chelsea should target

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Bengaluru, July 13: Chelsea have given their fans plenty to rejoice about in the transfer market already even before the start of the transfer window. They have already signed Hakim Ziyech from Ajax and Timo Werner from RB Leipzig and are linked strongly with a few big names such as Kai Havertz of Bayer Leverkusen and Ben Chilwell of Leicester City.

With every other top club taking a rather conservative approach in the market due to the financial impact of coronavirus, Chelsea are an exception and it is hardly a surprise considering they could not add a single player to their ranks during the last couple of transfer windows.

Frank Lampard is having a more than a decent first season as Chelsea manager. The Blues are playing an exciting brand of football under him and should also be able to finish the season in top four barring any late hiccups.

The West London side has been excellent going forward this campaign and there is no doubt that Werner and Ziyech will bolster their attack to a great extent. However, the Blues have had their struggles in defence this season especially since the restart and it is surprising that the Blues are not linked with too many defensive reinforcements apart from Chilwell.

Looking at how Chelsea have fared defensively this season, a new centre-back should be their absolute priority for the summer and here, we will take a look at three central defenders they should target.

Nathan Ake - Bournemouth

Nathan Ake has been one of the best central defenders in the Premier League outside the top six clubs in recent years. However, despite his best efforts, the Dutchman looks powerless to secure survival for Bournemouth this season. In the last couple of years, Ake has been consistently linked with an exit from the Vitality Stadium and Chelsea have been mentioned as his destination more often than not.

The Blues will certainly benefit defensively if Ake makes his return to Stamford Bridge. A ball-playing defender boasting an extraordinary ability with the ball at his feet, Ake is just 25 years of age and has his best days ahead of him. And, he could prove to be the heart of Chelsea defence in many years to come.

Diego Carlos - Sevilla

A player who has been linked strongly to Liverpool in recent months, Diego Carlos has been a phenomenal player for Sevilla this season following his move to the Spanish giants from Ligue 1 side Nantes. The Brazilian defender has been compared to Virgil van Dijk thanks to his elegant style of defending and ability to pick out Hollywood passes.

However, Sevilla are said to be wanting his €75 million release clause to be triggered in full for the 27-year-old and the Reds are unlikely to do that and that presents Chelsea an option to once again hijack a Liverpool move and bring the soon to be capped Brazil international to Stamford Bridge.

Kalidou Koulibaly- Napoli

Regarded as one of the best defenders in the modern era, Koulibaly has been linked with every big club in Europe in recent times and it seems that Napoli are now also willing to cash in on the Senegalese man mountain. All Chelsea have to do is to match Napoli's demands for the 29-year-old and they can hope to see Koulibaly making a similar impact to that of Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool.

Koulibaly has every single attribute a defender aspires of having and can completely turn the Chelsea defence around on his own. However, the Blues are likely to face a lot of competition for the signature of the Napoli defender as he would be the go-to man for every top club who is looking to bolster their defence including Liverpool.