Chelsea have made a strong push to sign AS Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara, according to Foot Mercato.
The Blues need midfield reinforcements following the departure of Andrey Santos and are considering bringing the Senegal international to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea have a bloated squad with many unreliable options in the centre of the pack.
Romeo Lavia has struggled to stay fit, Dario Essugo might not be ready to start for a club of this stature, while new signing Jordan Henderson is in the twilight of his career.
Chelsea could use another reliable partner to Moises Caicedo and have enquired about Camara.
The 22-year-old did not enjoy a memorable World Cup campaign but had a terrific domestic season in Ligue 1 in which he bagged three goals.
Remarkable at set-pieces, he excels as a deep-lying playmaker or box-to-box midfielder and will be far cheaper than expensive options such as Alex Scott.
His current manager and former Chelsea defender Filipe Luis described him as ‘one of the best midfielders in the world’.
His form has caught the attention of several Liverpool, Newcastle United, Brighton & Hove Albion, Manchester United, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest.
Sign Camara, but Chelsea cannot afford to sell Enzo Fernandez
Camara would be a brilliant pick-up for Chelsea, but it should by no means result in them selling Enzo Fernandez.
The Argentine is light years ahead of Camara in terms of development.
The Blues must keep Fernandez and give him the raise that he deserves following two outstanding campaigns.
Selling him to Manchester City would be a bad look, particularly as they will be one of Chelsea’s main rivals this season.
