Chelsea scouts were reportedly in attendance for Lille vs Montpellier over the weekend.
Chelsea were there to watch Lille defender Leny Yoro, according to HITC.
The same outlet claims that the Blues were also scouting Akor Adams and Jonathan David but Yoro was their main focus.
Chelsea bringing the centre-back to Stamford Bridge this month seems very unlikely, though.
At the end of December, le10sport reported that Lille value Yoro at €90m (£76.6m). It is hard to imagine Chelsea spending that on an 18-year-old.
Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty ImagesChelsea scouting Leny Yoro
It makes perfect sense that Chelsea have Yoro on their radar. He is obviously a young central defender with a lot of talent.
France and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has described what he is doing right now as “extraordinary”, which is high praise.
The Blues may also find themselves in a position soon where they need to replace Thiago Silva. The Brazilian is out of contract at the end of the season and Mauricio Pochettino could not confirm whether he would be staying or going in a recent press conference.
Honestly, we think it would be a bit mad if Chelsea let Silva go and tried to replace him with someone like Yoro.
The Frenchman may have potential, but Silva’s experience is on another level, while the former Paris Saint-Germain captain is still performing.
As per WhoScored, Silva is making 4.6 clearances in the Premier League this season, which is the highest average in Pochettino’s squad. It is one stat that shows he is far from finished.
However, under their new ownership, Chelsea have not been afraid to allow the more senior players at the club to leave west London and replace them with youngsters. You think of the likes of Cesar Azpilicueta and Jorginho, for example, who were once Chelsea captain and vice-captain.