Chelsea are the latest side to express an interest in Real Madrid left-back Sergio Reguilón, joining Everton in the race for his signature.
With the future of Frenchman Lucas Digne up in the air and Leighton Baines announcing his retirement, the Toffees launched an £18m bid to sign Reguilón, who has just returned to Real after being named as La Liga's best left-back during his loan with Sevilla.
Despite Reguilón's impressive form this season, game time may be hard to come by at the Santiago Bernabéu, where Marcelo and big-money signing Ferland Mendy shared left-back duties during the course of the campaign.
Well aware of that, Chelsea have registered their interest in the 23-year-old, and Sky Sports News claim that the Blues will soon trump Everton's £18m bid.
With Emerson expected to leave Stamford Bridge and the door open for Marcos Alonso to follow suit if an acceptable bid arrives, finding a new left-back is one of Frank Lampard's top priorities this summer.
Leicester City's Ben Chilwell is his top target, but with any deal for the Englishman likely to cost close to £80m, the Blues have been forced to turn to cheaper options like Reguilón.
Marca also discuss Chelsea's interest in the Spaniard, but their report centres around the idea that any move to Chelsea would only be a loan.
Reguilón still dreams of playing for Real and may be interested in the chance to prove himself at a side who will be competing in the Champions League next season, while Real may prefer to avoid losing him permanently as he could replace the 32-year-old Marcelo in the near future.
A loan would give Chelsea the chance to save some money this summer and focus on their pursuits of a new goalkeeper and centre-back. With the likes of Atlético Madrid duo Jan Oblak and José Giménez on the radar, Frank Lampard may need every available penny he can get.
Alongside Reguilón, the Blues are also keeping tabs on Ajax's Nicolás Tagliafico, Porto's Alex Telles and Getafe's Marc Cucurella as potential cut-price alternatives to Chilwell.
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Source : 90min