Chelsea 'lead' Man Utd in transfer race for 'aggressive' Marc Guehi alternative with £50.7m asking price

Chelsea are being linked with another centre-back as they continue to search for solutions at the back. The Blues have had issues at the back, with Wesley Fofana out and potentially for the rest of the season, while Enzo Maresca does not appear to be fully convinced by Axel Disasi and Tosin Adarabioyo when it comes to starting either one on a regular basis.

The Blues appear to have found a temporary solution to tide them over, recalling Trevoh Chalobah from his loan spell with Crystal Palace to cover for the injury issues.

“It was quite an easy process [to recall Chalobah],” Maresca said when asked about the decision to recall Chalobah. “We have a few injuries, as you know, so we were looking for a solution and we thought the best solution would be to call back Trev. Firstly, because we know him very well and secondly because we know he can help us. So we went for that solution.

“He knows the house better than me! First of all, he was very happy, I could see his face and I had a chat with him a few days ago and again this morning. You can see he is happy and we are happy that he is here.”

In the long term, Chelsea will still want to sign a centre-back, with Marc Guehi being linked with a move to Stamford Bridge. Guehi is likely to cost around £70million, although that fee could be reduced a little come the summer if he does not sign a new deal at Selhurst Park.

Diomande alternative

Although, it does seem as though the Blues have an alternative in the works. Sporting CP’s towering defender Ousmane Diomande is being linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea and Arsenal said to be interested, moving ahead of Bayern Munich Manchester United in the race.

CaughtOffside report that the 21-year-old defender could make a move away from Sporting in the near future, It’s claimed an offer of between £42.2million and £50.7million could get the job done, and that’s despite the fact the 6ft3” defender has a release clause worth £67.6million. Chelsea may be more likely to wait until the summer to pull off a deal, although they could spring into action amid interest in Axel Disasi.

U23 Football Scout Antonio Mango has said of Diomande: "Aggressive, tough-tackling, comfortable with the ball at his feet, progressive in possession... all the hallmarks for a modern-day defender." The defender has made 55 league appearances for Sporting to date, also racking up eight caps for Ivory Coast.