Chelsea have made an enquiry for Manchester United defender Harry Maguire, according to reports in England.
The Blues are keen to sign a central defender this summer, with Thomas Tuchel previously admitting that his squad lacked in reinforcements at the back.
“We could use one more central defender,” he admitted last week. “If you look at the numbers and we play with a back three.
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“The profile of the guys in the three is a little bit different, I admit. Playing with Azpi, more a fullback than central defender. Cucurella it’s possible.
“Both of them cannot play as central defenders. We could use one more central defender. Let’s see what happens.”
Maguire plays in the middle of a back three for Gareth Southgate’s England and had impressed in that role for the national team, reaching a World Cup semi-final and finishing runner-up in Euro 2020.
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It has now been reported by Sami Mokbel of The Daily Mail that Chelsea have enquired about signing the 29-year-old.
The report states that Chelsea raised the possibility of signing Maguire as part of Man United's attempts to take Christian Pulisic earlier this week.
Chelsea were said to be unwilling to send the American on loan to Manchester, seeing the Red Devils as a traditional rival.
However, they would be willing to discuss a deal if it involved Maguire going in the opposite direction.
Despite the interest, it is still believed that Wesley Fofana of Leicester City is Chelsea's main priority.
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There is growing optimism that the 21-year-old will join the Blues this summer, with a deal potentially taking place next week.
Fofana has asked to be excluded from Leicester's squad to face Southampton on Saturday, with a move to Stamford Bridge being worked on.
Leiecester have been determined to keep the youngster for at least another year, seeing Chelsea look at alternative options such as Maguire.
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The 29-year-old is a natural central defender and with Andreas Christensen's departure, Chelsea do not have a specialist centre central defender for their back three to provide cover to Thiago Silva.
It remains to be seen as to whether Chelsea's interest will go further than an enquiry during talks regarding Pulisic, as Fofana remains the priority for now.
Topics: Chelsea, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Harry Maguire, Manchester United, Transfers, Premier League, Football
Nick Emms