Media reports have hinted that the Blues have entered the race to sign Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund, while Chelsea have also been connected with Sergio Aguero after news broke last week that the Argentinian will leave Manchester City at the end of his contract this summer.

Tuchel was asked about both players at his pre-West Bromwich Albion press conference but refused to be drawn on whether a move would be made for either forward.

‘I will not answer that out of respect for the player and Borussia Dortmund,’ said Tuchel on Haaland.

‘There is big news around him and his agent. It seems like they are creating a race for the player and I will fully accept this a player for Borussia Dortmund, a promising player of course.

‘He isn't our player and is not in our squad. So, we will not comment on anything else regarding Haaland.

‘You can ask about Aguero too but it's the same answer as Haaland. We have full respect for Manchester City and for Sergio Aguero, who is a big player for them. There are no words needed for me about the achievements of this guy, he is a world-class player.

‘But we have three competitions in which we are in with Manchester City so I will not speak about their player.’

Asked whether the Blues would be in a position to strengthen once again this summer, Tuchel admitted that it was hard to answer that question when the market is so distorted by the current Covid-19 pandemic.

Our head coach did, however, reiterate that his sole focus for the moment is working with the current crop of players and working hard to achieve our goals.

‘We have to wait,’ said Thomas on whether or not the Blues will spend big this summer.

‘It's another strange situation with the pandemic. It is necessary that we need to adapt and be patient. Is there a market? How does it look? What can we invest in? Are there chances to generate money with interest in our players? Can other clubs buy our players?

‘The situation is not clear and so for me, it's best to be patient and I agree with the club on this. We have to fully trust the guys we have. We have eight decisive weeks of decisive matches in which we can achieve our goals.

‘My trust and concentration is totally on the players that are here.’