Chelsea boss Antonio Conte intends to hand the vacant captain's armband to defender David Luiz for the 2017-18 campaign, according to a report.
The departure of long-serving skipper John Terry at the end of last season, bringing an end to his 22-year association with the club, has left the position up for grabs.
It is claimed by The Sun that centre-back Luiz is a serious candidate to take over from Terry, a year after rejoining the club from Paris Saint-Germain for a sum of £32m.
Gary Cahill was considered to be the favourite to wear the armband, having stood in for much of the last two campaigns and also skippered national side England.
Conte is said to favour the leadership qualities of Luiz, though, while also being impressed by the Brazilian's bravery to battle on through the second half of last season despite picking up a knee injury in December.
