AC Milan 'preparing to rival Chelsea for Malmo defender'

Chelsea will allegedly face competition from AC Milan for the signature of Malmo centre-back Anel Ahmedhodzic.

The 21-year-old is believed to have emerged as a transfer target for the Premier League giants, with a recent report claiming that Frank Lampard's side are lining up a €8m (£7.2m) offer.

However, according to Calciomercato, the Blues will have to battle Milan for the defender's signature as the Italian giants are also interested in signing him from the 20-time Swedish champions.

Ahmedhodzic left Malmo to join Nottingham Forest in 2016 but only featured once for the Championship side before returning to Sweden, and he became a key player for the Blue Ones after a productive loan spell with Danish club Hobro.

The centre-back made his international debut for Sweden at the start of this year but has since switched his citizenship to Bosnia-Herzegovina, featuring for the latter in the UEFA Nations League in October.

Malmo are thought to value Ahmedhodzic in the region of €10m (£9m).