Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has reportedly demanded that the club attempt to complete a deal to sign Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar.
According to RMC, as cited on Metro, the Blues chief is very keen on bringing the 20-year-old Ligue 1 ace to the Premier League, as he looks to freshen up his squad with some younger talent.
With Mateo Kovacic only on loan and doubts over the long-term futures of N’Golo Kante and Cesc Fabregas at Stamford Bridge, the Italian is in the hunt to bring in at least one new central midfielder over the next two transfer windows.
Aouar, who is valued at £30million by Lyon, is believed to be the man Sarri wants to fill the number eight role – despite the French outfit refusing to sell in January.
Liverpool and Barcelona are also said to be monitoring the player, who has scored 11 goals in 48 Ligue appearances since making his Lyon debut in February 2017.
Chelsea have reportedly entered the race to sign major Manchester United defensive target Milan Skriniar from Inter Milan.
The Slovakia defender has been a long-time target for Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho, who remains desperate to land a new centre-back in January after missing out on several targets over the summer.
However, it would appear that United now face major rivals in their efforts to sign the £70m-rated star as Chelsea declared their interest.
A report in The Sun claims that Skriniar has now emerged on Maurizio Sarri’s shopping list as he draws up plans to bolster his team’s back four.
Sarri wants to bring in some younger defensive talent, with Gary Cahill and David Luiz both on the wrong side of 30, and sees the man he viewed at close hand during his time at Napoli as a perfect fit at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea will be away to London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the Wembley Stadium in their next Premier League fixture on Saturday. The Blues are yet to lose a single football match this season.