Chelsea host German side Bayer Leverkusen and Italian outfit AC Milan in their first two friendlies of the summer next month.
The Blues have not yet enjoyed much of a break since the end of the Premier League season, due to their participation in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Enzo Maresca’s side went all the way at the tournament in the United States, beating Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain in the final in New Jersey last weekend.
The West London outfit have now lifted both the Europa Conference League and Club World Cup in the past two months, and Maresca will hope to see his side challenge for silverware once again next term.
Liam Delap, Dario Essugo, Mamadou Sarr and Jamie Gittens have all already joined the Blues this summer, but the London giants are unlikely to stop spending any time soon.
With that in mind, it appears that Chelsea are hoping to hijack Arsenal’s pursuit of an England international.
According to CaughtOffside, the Blues are in contact with the representatives of Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze.
Eze has attracted interest from both Chelsea and Arsenal (Photo: Action Plus Sports Images/Alamy)
Eze, 27, joined Palace from Queens Park Rangers in 2020 and has since played 167 times for the South London club across all competitions, scoring 40 goals and providing 28 assists.
It is claimed that Chelsea held talks with Eze last summer and have recently reignited their interest, holding further discussions with the Englishman’s representatives.
Chelsea are said to have made it clear that, if the financial conditions required to agree a deal are acceptable, they are prepared to submit a formal offer for the midfielder.
While Arsenal had previously looked to be in pole position to land the England international, the report claims that Chelsea’s emergence could change that.
It is also currently unknown whether or not the midfielder, who can play in a number of roles across midfield and the front line, has a preference on joining Arsenal or Chelsea.