Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has reportedly placed Jules Kounde and Wesley Fofana at the top of his centre-back wish-list this summer.

The Blues will have to replace Antonio Rudiger this summer after Tuchel confirmed the German will be departing on a free transfer.

Real Madrid are believed to have secured Rudiger's signature after he rejected a £230,000-a-week extension offer from Chelsea.

The Evening Standard says Tuchel has identified Sevilla's Kounde and Leicester youngster Fofana as potential replacements for Rudiger.

Kounde has been linked with Chelsea for over 18 months and the Frenchman is Tuchel's number one target.

Fofana, another French defender, is also highly regarded by Tuchel, however it is likely that the 21-year-old will cost more than Kounde after he recently signed a long-term extension with Leicester.

Tuchel has stated that it will be difficult to replace 29-year-old Rudiger.

"Even when the sanctions are in the past, it will be incredibly difficult," he said. "Toni is what he is. He is a big personality, a big leader. He takes the fear away from other people, gives you confidence when he is next to you, and has played 50-60 matches over 90 minutes with incredible consistency.

"So it will be challenging, but like always, no matter how much I love Toni and how big a role he played, there will be Chelsea without Toni Rudiger and we will find solutions."