Chelsea must learn from wild-goose transfer chase to sign wildcard Antonio Rudiger successor

Chelsea must remind themselves of the trials and trepidations in Thomas Tuchel's pursuit for a new centre-half ahead of the summer transfer window.

The Blues were linked with Sevilla defender Jules Kounde ahead of the season and were understood to have agreed a deal worth around £43 million, according to The Athletic.

However, the subsequent sale of Kurt Zouma to West Ham reportedly saw the Spanish side's sporting director, Monchi, increase the asking price to £69 million to which Chelsea then halted their pursuit.

Regardless of whether Kounde may or may not still be on the west Londoners' shopping list, Marina Granovskaia has eyed an alternative option that could save the club time and money while also potentially getting a better deal.

The European champions are considering a swoop for Brighton centre-half Adam Webster, according to the Mirror.

Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen are yet to have penned new deals at Stamford Bridge, forcing Granovskaia's hand amid a potential mass defensive exodus at the end of the season.

Webster, whose towering header salvaged a point for Graham Potter's side against Chelsea last month, has impressed for the Seagull's this season, making him an interesting option.

The 27-year-old is valued at just £16.2 million by Transfermarkt and could emerge as a financially safer and simpler alternative to Kounde, following Chelsea's troubles suffered via the aforementioned negotiations with Sevilla.

Sevilla moved the goalposts and, ahead of what is reportedly going to be a busy summer transfer window for Tuchel, the Blues can't afford to waste time again.

A potential move for Webster shouldn't just be perceived as 'the safe option' either; the Brighton defender's excellent