Chelsea 'lining up bid for Marseille defender Nicolas N'Koulou'

Chelsea are allegedly lining up a January swoop for Marseille defender Nicolas N'Koulou.

Blues boss Jose Mourinho is aiming to secure the Cameroon international in a cut-price deal as his contract is up next summer, reports L'Equipe.

Marseille, who are said to be after £7.2m for N'Koulou, are reportedly open to doing business with Chelsea to avoid selling the player to a Ligue 1 rival.

Capped 63 times by Cameroon, N'Koulou joined Marseille from Monaco in 2011.