Serie A giants Juventus are reportedly set to hijack Chelsea in their pursuit of Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.
Thomas Tuchel's side have admired the 21-year-old for some time and are preparing to make a 'very attractive proposal' to convince the Frenchman to move to London.
However, Tuttosport reports that Juventus have now stepped up their interest in Tchouameni and have notified the player's representatives of their desires to sign the youngster.
It is understood that Chelsea came close to signing Tchouameni this summer, however the club's hierarchy did not see his potential arrival at Stamford Bridge as a priority and instead recruited Romelu Lukaku and Saul Niguez from Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid respectively.
This decision, however, could come back to haunt the Blues as Juve believe they are in a strong position to sign the player in one of the upcoming transfer windows.
Tchouameni, who made his international debut for the French senior side earlier this month, has played 58 times for Monaco, scoring four goals and providing four assists.
Oliver Thomas
