Chelsea were left impressed after conducting a scouting mission to assess an "excellent" £20m Premier League player, according to a report.
Chelsea transfer news
The Blues have made it clear they intend to strengthen their attack, having drawn up a shortlist of potential targets, with the likes of Liam Delap and Alexander Isak said to be under consideration.
In fact, such is their interest in the latter player, the board are now prepared to green-light an £83m bid. Newcastle United are currently trying to extend Isak's contract, though they would be willing to analyse Chelsea's offer.
It is fair to say Enzo Maresca's side have surpassed expectations so far this season, sitting in second place ahead of their weekend clash with Spurs, but the manager clearly still thinks he needs extra reinforcements if they are to mount an unlikely title challenge.
As such, the west London club have been running the rule over new defenders, with Football Transfers reporting that Paris Saint-Germain centre-back Willian Pacho is now being targeted, alongside Barcelona's Jules Kounde and Ronald Araujo.
Chelsea targeting Zabarnyi
Now, it appears as though Chelsea have set their sights on an option from much closer to home, with The Boot Room reporting scouts were sent to watch Bournemouth's Illia Zabarnyi during the Cherries' victory against Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday.
The Blues are in the market for a new centre-back as they are understood to be unconvinced by the first-choice pairing of Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana.
Levi-Colwill-Chelsea
Zabarnyi has been the subject of long-standing interest, having been tracked since before he moved to the Vitality Stadium for a fee of £20m back in 2023, and he impressed scouts with his performance on Thursday evening.
Chelsea are said to have a good relationship with Bournemouth following Kepa Arrizabalaga's loan move in the summer, meaning they are well-positioned to complete a deal.
Chelsea's upcoming Premier League fixtures Date
Tottenham Hotspur (a) December 8
Brentford (h) December 15
Everton (a) December 22
Fulham (h) December 26
Ipswich Town (a) December 30
Zabarnyi put in a solid performance against Spurs, helping them keep a clean sheet in a 1-0 victory, though there are question marks over whether he is at the level to improve Chelsea.
The Ukrainian does not stand out on any metric over the past year, ranking in just the 47th percentile for tackles completed per 90 and the 41st percentile for interceptions, when compared to his positional peers over the past year.
Colwill also out-performs the Bournemouth star across a number of these key metrics, including blocks and pass completion rate per 90, indicating it would be a little harsh to replace the Englishman, while Maresca was full of praise for Fofana earlier this season, saying:
"Wes is a player that I really love, I am in love with Wes."
"He is doing fantastic after one year injured and, for any player in the world, when you are out for one year and then you come back, it is not easy, and he is doing top. This is the only thing we want from him."
Zabarnyi has previously been lauded as "excellent" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, but Chelsea should perhaps consider other options at centre-back in the January transfer window.