New Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior will take charge of his first Premier League game when the Blues host Brentford on Saturday.
The Englishman took charge of the Blues earlier this month following the departure of Enzo Maresca, and oversaw a 5-1 victory against Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup third round in his first match in charge.
Rosenior suffered defeat in his first home match in charge, though, with his side beaten 3-2 by rivals Arsenal in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday evening.
Now, it has emerged that the west London outfit are on the hunt for a new defender and have made contact about a move for a Frenchman.
As per Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea have been in contact with French side Rennes about a potential move to sign centre-back Jeremy Jacquet.
Jacquet has emerged as a top target for Chelsea (Photo: Icon Sport/Alamy)
He claims that the Blues are interested in the 20-year-old and have made initial contact with the Ligue 1 side in the past 24 hours.
Jacquet is a product of Rennes’ youth system and has now made 29 appearances for the French side at senior level, as well as featuring 24 times during a loan spell with Clermont Foot.
Romano claims that Jacquet is part of a three-man shortlist of central defensive targets drawn up by those steering Chelsea’s transfer strategy, with the Blues keen to add to Rosenior’s squad this month.
Chelsea are said to be aware that the Frenchman is likely to attract significant interest from other clubs, and they are therefore keen to make a signing before the end of the current transfer window.
Jacquet is under contract at French side Rennes until the end of the 2028/29 campaign, however, which puts the Ligue 1 outfit in a commanding position and under very little pressure to sell.