Chelsea have made inquiries over the transfer of Edinson Cavani as they look to beat Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur to the Paris Saint-Germain forward’s signature.
Blues manager Frank Lampard made no secret of his admiration for the Uruguay international, 32, and suggested his side would be keen on making a January move for the PSG attacker.
Lampard is keen to add another striker to his squad to provide competition for Tammy Abraham, with Olivier Giroud expected to leave Stamford Bridge this summer.
And Chelsea chiefs are hoping to land Cavani this month after he handed in a transfer request, according to The Telegraph.
They face stiff competition from Atletico Madrid who have already lodged a bid, which was knocked back, while Spurs and United also remain in the hunt.
Jose Mourinho is a long-term admirer of Cavani and he would be an ideal replacement for the injured Harry Kane but the striker’s wages could see Tottenham fail to land him.
United are also weighing up a move for him, with a striker high on Solskjaer’s wishlist following Marcus Rashford’s injury.
But it’s Chelsea who are in pole position, of the English clubs, to secure a deal for him.
Lampard said of Cavani on Monday: ‘He is a great player, I played against him and I always loved his mentality and attitude, and obviously his goalscoring record speaks for itself.
‘I’m not absolutely aware of what the situation is, so we’ll see. He’s an experienced player, but so are many others out there.
‘The idea of bringing in experience is something I’m certainly not absolutely looking away from. Sometimes the young players need a little bit of help and if that’s the case, then that may help us.’
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