Chelsea are now closely monitoring a new defender for Enzo Maresca, it has been reported, as they look to consolidate their newfound position back towards the top of the Premier League.
Chelsea march on
An impressive comeback against London rivals Tottenham saw Chelsea run out 4-3 winners in north London on Sunday, and move up to second place in the Premier League in the process.
The Blues were 2-0 down inside 15 minutes thanks to two slips from Marc Cucurella which allowed Tottenham through on the attack, but goals from Jadon Sancho and a penalty from Cole Palmer brought them level on the hour mark.
Chelsea's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall in action with Southampton's Kamaldeen Sulemana Related
[Chelsea ready to sell "sensational" £30m player with PL rivals keen](https://www.footballfancast.com/chelsea-premier-league-kiernan-dewsbury-hall-transfer-news-rumours/ "Chelsea ready to sell "sensational" £30m player with PL rivals keen")
The Blues have made him available for a January transfer.
From there, they pressed their advantage as an Enzo Fernandez half volley and a second penalty from Palmer, this time a panenka, put them on course for all three points, though a stoppage time goal from Heung Min-Son made the scoreline closer than it perhaps should have been.
After the game, Maresca once again played down talk of a potential title challenge despite his side being Liverpool's closest challengers as things stand.
"Arsenal, [Manchester] City and Liverpool probably don't slide - like Cucurella did," he joked. "To be serious, we are not ready. We are far from these teams, but we focus on day-by-day and trying to improve the team.
"The plan or the idea is to not let the players slow down. They cannot drop because they know another player is waiting to come in."
One area that remains a concern is the heart of defence, with Benoit Badiashile looking error-prone and Axel Disasi having yet to regularly feature in the Premier League this season. Now, in keeping with Chelsea's recent transfer policy, the Blues are eyeing another young talent.
Chelsea keen on Thiago Silva 2.0
That comes as Sky Germany report that Chelsea are one of two Premier League sides keeping a close eye on Brazilian defender Vitor Reis ahead of a potential summer move. The Blues have already raided Palmeiras once in the last 12 months, landing impressive forward Estêvão Willian in a deal worth up to £52m, with the teenager joining in the upcoming summer.
And he could be joined by fellow Palmeiras star Reis, with Florian Plettenberg revealing that the Blues are "closely monitoring" Reis ahead of the summer.
Vitor Reis for Palmeiras
Still just 18-years-old himself, Reis is believed to have a bright future ahead of him, with Football Analyst Ben Mattinson taking to X to dub him the "heir to Thiago Silva" and a "future star" at centre back.
Vitor Reis's senior career to date
Appearances
Goals
Clean sheets
Yellow Cards
The defender is under contract in Sao Paulo until 2028, meaning that it would likely take a significant fee to lure him away from the Brazilian side, especially given that next summer would be midway through their domestic season and they will already be losing Estêvão.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are also thought to be interested in the talent as they look for yet more defensive reinforcements, which could leave Chelsea with a fight on their hands.