Sky Sport Italia claim that Chelsea have jumped the queue in the race to sign Roma defender Mehdi Benatia.
The Moroccan central defender had been on the verge of signing for Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich with Pep Guardiola a keen admirer, but the German side failed to make a breakthrough in a potential deal.
Manchester City had also shown interest but they have now turned their attentions to Porto defender Eliaquim Mangala, who is close to penning a deal with the English champions.
Benatia returned to training with Serie A side Roma earlier this week and linked up with a former Chelsea defender in Ashley Cole, who swapped Stamford Bridge for the Italian capital club last week.
Sky Sport Italia now suggest that Chelsea are keen to pursue their interest in Benatia after being impressed with his performances last season.
The report goes on to add that after signing Juan Manuel Iturbe from Verona earlier this week for £22m, the Stadio Olimpico side are keen to recoup some of that fee by selling a number of their top players.