Chelsea have reportedly been handed a boost in their efforts to sign Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana.
Head coach Thomas Tuchel has made no secret about wanting to bring in at least one more centre-back before the end of the summer transfer window.
With the Blues having missed out on Jules Kounde to Barcelona, the German has been forced to identify alternatives to the Frenchman.
Over the past 48 hours, it has been widely claimed that Chelsea hold an interest in Kounde's French compatriot Fofana, who has a long-term contract at the King Power Stadium.
Nevertheless, according to Ignazio Genuardi, the West Londoners have already reached an agreement in principle over personal terms.
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The report claims that Chelsea will now continue with the difficult task of trying to convince Leicester to part ways with their most prized asset.
The 21-year-old allegedly has a valuation in the region of £70m, although there is no guarantee that the Foxes will be prepared to part ways with the player for that fee.
That is despite Leicester and Brendan Rodgers being in a situation where their hands are effectively tied when it comes to signing new players this summer.
Due to squad restrictions and a lack of transfer funds, failure to sell any of their fringe players or Youri Tielemans has led to something of an impasse with regards to fresh arrivals.
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Unless Fofana specifically expresses a desire to join Chelsea, Leicester are reportedly unlikely to change their stance regarding the player's future.
Rodgers must also take into account that fellow central defenders Caglar Soyuncu and Jonny Evans have less than a year remaining on their contract and may receive offers for their signatures.
From Chelsea's perspective, they are unlikely to remain too patient in the hunt for Fofana given Tuchel's desire to get another world-class defender through the door at Stamford Bridge.
While Kalidou Koulibaly is a significant arrival, Chelsea are effectively one defender light due to the departures of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger.
Darren Plant
