Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca will hope to see his side end their recent run of poor form when they host Everton on Saturday.
The Blues were in fine form throughout November but have since lost twice and drawn once in three games across the Premier League and Champions League.
Last time out the West London outfit were beaten 2-1 by Atalanta in the Champions League in Bergamo, denting their hopes of qualifying automatically for the knockout stages of the competition.
Now, with the January transfer window fast approaching, it has emerged that Chelsea are interested in a central defender.
According to CaughtOffside, Chelsea are interested in Sporting CP defender Ousmane Diomande, but face competition from Premier League rivals Crystal Palace in the race to land the player.
Diomande, 22, joined Sporting from Danish side Midtjylland in 2023 and has since made more than 110 appearances for the Portuguese side across all competitions.
Diomande has attracted interest from Chelsea (Photo: Sipa US/Alamy)
He has impressed for the Portuguese outfit, and his strong run of form has attracted interest from a number of clubs including Chelsea and Crystal Palace.
According to the report, Crystal Palace have identified the Ivorian as their top transfer target as they search for potential replacements for captain Marc Guehi, who is set to leave the club next year having came close to joining Liverpool over the summer.
Sporting are understandably reluctant to lose such a key player, though, and the report claims that the Portuguese champions will demand that his release clause – of around £70 million – is met in order to sell the player.
Diomande’s current contract with Sporting is set to run until the summer of 2027, but it appears increasingly likely that he will depart the Portuguese capital prior to that date.
Fellow Premier League sides Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle United are all also said to have scouted the Ivory Coast international in recent months.