Chelsea make the short trip to North London to face rivals Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
Enzo Maresca’s side have won their last two Premier League matches to move back into the top four in the table, but they will be without talisman Cole Palmer for Sunday’s trip to the Emirates.
In the meantime, it has emerged that the West London side have made an audacious move to sign key player from one of their fiercest rivals.
According to TBR Football, the Blues have enquired about the availability of Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate.
The report claims that Chelsea have asked about the possibility of signing the centre-back, who is under contract until the end of next season.
Konate is said to have rejected Liverpool’s opening offer of a new deal towards the end of last year, and Chelsea are one of a number of clubs showing interest in the Frenchman.
Konate has emerged as a surprise target for Chelsea
The 25-year-old joined the Reds from German side RB Leipzig in 2021 and has since made a total of 123 appearances for the Merseyside club across all competitions.
Those in charge of Liverpool have been focussed on sorting out the futures of key players Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, all of whom are in the final six months of their respective contracts.
While the futures of the trio have been the subject of intense conversation in recent months, the report claims that members of the club’s hierarchy have also been in contact with Konate as they are concerned about the Frenchman’s future.
Konate is part of Arne Slot’s first choice central defensive partnership, alongside Van Dijk, and the France international has made 33 appearances for the Reds so far this term.
French champions Paris Saint-Germain and Champions League holders Real Madrid are also both credited with an interest in the centre-back.