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Chelsea have been scouting Sporting Lisbon defender Ousmane Diomané who was the subject of interest from Arsenal in the summer.
The Gunners went so far as to make a £30 million bid for the Ivory Coast international but that was turned down by the Portuguese club.
Not turned 20 yet, Diomané fits the age profile of the type of player that Chelsea prefer to sign these days, young with the potential to grow in value over the length of their contract.
And there is also an element of future proofing involved, as the club begin to make plans for life after Thiago Silva.
The Brazilian is now 39 years old, and cannot have longer at the top level left.
There are also concerns about the long-term availability of Wesley Fofana. The French international under surgery for an ACL injury in the summer, and there are now concerns that he may not play for the club at all this season.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.