These stories are samples pulled from external media sources. They do not represent the views or position of Chelsea Football Club.

French trio among list of potential signings

Chelsea are not giving up on signing Sevilla defender Jules Kounde, according to reports, and are also interested in the services of two other French internationals.

Presnel Kimpembe of Paris Saint-Germain and Aurelien Tchouameni of Monaco are two other players that the Blues are apparently keeping a close eye on.

Reports by the Mirror, who cite French outlet L’Equipe, suggest a deal for Kounde could still be completed, despite summer disappointment.

‘Chelsea are set to revive their interest in Jules Kounde as well as targeting two of his compatriots Presnel Kimpembe and Aurelien Tchouameni.

‘A deal for the Sevilla defender broke down in the summer as the Blues pursued him for the majority of the window.

‘L'Equipe claims Thomas Tuchel has not "forgotten about him", however.

‘The report states the German is also looking at his French national teammates Kimpembe and Tchouameni.’

Kante praised by midfield counterpart

Manchester City and Germany midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has named Blues star N’Golo Kante as his hardest-ever midfield opponent.

In a Q&A session on his personal Twitter account, the German answered fans’ questions, and heaped praise on our French midfielder while doing so.

‘I would say N'Golo Kante,’ Gundogan replied when quizzed on his hardest midfield opponent. ‘He’s really strong, the amount of work that he puts into the game, it’s just unbelievable.’

The pair have come up against each other 11 times in their excellent Premier League careers, with seven of those being Chelsea victories.

Their recent meeting in the middle of the park in the Champions League final in May saw N’Golo pick up the Man of the Match award.

The duo may face off tomorrow at the Etihad Stadium as we look to win another game against City under Thomas Tuchel.

Malouda's prediction...

Former Chelsea player Florent Malouda expects Chelsea to beat Manchester City tomorrow.

Malouda played Man City seven times in his Premier League career, winning four of those.

In an interview with William Hill, as quoted by Football.London, the Frenchman has backed Thomas Tuchel’s tactics to overcome Pep Guardiola’s side.

‘I can see Chelsea winning against Manchester City,’ Malouda said. ‘If they want to bridge the gap then they need to beat the best, and there’s nothing to lose now in this game. It’s an opportunity to go out and beat City and keep the title challenge alive.

‘If you look at [Thomas] Tuchel’s record against Pep [Guardiola], it shows he has the right formula, and he knows how to beat City. I think they can beat them this weekend.'

Malouda also fancies the match to be quite the opposite of the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge, in which Chelsea lost 1-0, one of only two Premier League losses this season.

‘To be honest, I can see it being a crazy game, and I’m going to say Chelsea can win 4-3!’