Chelsea have expressed interest in signing three members of the Monaco squad that will face Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Defender Djibril Sidibe, defensive midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko and attacking midfielder Bernardo Silva are all on Chelsea’s wish-list and will be watched by the Blues with the aim of bringing them to Stamford Bridge in the summer.
Both Sidibe and Bakayoko have already been watched by Chelsea coach Antonio Conte and technical director Michael Emenalo during the Ligue 1 leaders 2-1 home win against Tottenham in the Champions League group stage in November.
Conte wants to strengthen his midfield options during the summer transfer window, particularly with the club set to return to the Champions League next season, which means more matches to be played and team rotation becoming inevitable.
Midfielders Mikel John Obi and Oscar have both left for Chinese Super League clubs Tianjin TEDA and Shanghai SIPG respectively, leaving the Premier League leaders with limited options in that area.
Sidibe emerged as a target for Chelsea because of his ability to play at full back and midfield while Silva is being seen as an ideal replacement for Oscar. Silva has netted six goals and provided five assists for Monaco this season and Chelsea have reportedly been linked with a £70M offer for him.
Bakayoko has refused to extend his current contract which expires in 2019 and has always been admired by Chelsea. Conte has been promised enough funds to spend on new players in the summer.