Thomas Tuchel promised up to six summer signings by new Chelsea owners

Thomas Tuchel has been promised as many as six summer signings by Chelsea’s new owners who have set Champions League qualification as a minimum target for their first season in charge in which they aim to close the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool.

Head coach Tuchel has held transfer summits with co-owner Todd Boehly and key staff this week to finalise Chelsea’s transfer plans after agreeing a deal to loan Romelu Lukaku back to Inter Milan.

A big-money move for Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt has been boosted by reports from Italy claiming the Dutchman will not sign a new contract and is ready to move to the Premier League.

Chelsea need to sign at least two new central defenders, with Sevilla’s Jules Kounde also high on their list, and could additionally move for greater cover at wing-back in the form of Jonathan Clauss.

With top-class strikers at a premium, Chelsea may not sign a like-for-like replacement for Lukaku but have identified attackers such as Raheem Sterling, Ousmane Dembele, Richarlison and Arsenal target Gabriel Jesus who could add goals and assists.

Tuchel has in the region of £200million to spend, although that figure could be further boosted by sales and a senior source told Telegraph Sport: “The key is to basically work with Tuchel to come up with the best players that are available. We really want to make sure we have a good defence. We've got depth in midfield. We're not desperate for an out-and-out striker.

“Fortunately, there's reasonable opportunities in the market right now in order to satisfy the fans' desire to be competitive. I think it's a combination of moves and there's five or six that we're going to look to make.”

Despite offering Tuchel, who the Boehly-Clearlake consortium believe