Chelsea reportedly have every intention of increasing their efforts to sign Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana.
On the back of seeing Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger depart Stamford Bridge on free transfers, head coach Thomas Tuchel has been eager to strengthen his backline.
Kalidou Koulibaly has been brought in from Napoli and wide player Marc Cucurella - who can deputise on the left-hand side of the back three if required - has arrived from Brighton & Hove Albion.
Tuchel felt that it was necessary to play Cesar Azpilicueta as a central defender during the win at Everton on Saturday, but it appears that the Blues boss has little intention of settling for his current crop of players in that position.
According to football.london, Chelsea are prepared to break the world record for a defender in order to secure the signature of Fofana.
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Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers has stated on more than one occasion that he regards the Frenchman as "not for sale", despite the club's well-documented issues in the transfer market.
The Foxes hierarchy have allegedly backed up that stance by rejecting at least one offer in excess of £70m, something which did not come as a surprise given how Leicester have recouped high fees in similar circumstances in the past.
The East Midlands outfit generated a world-record fee for a defender when selling Harry Maguire to Manchester United for £80m, and it appears that another transfer in that price range is becoming a realistic possibility.
The report says that chairman and co-owner Todd Boehly is willing to put forward an offer either at or marginally above that current record over the coming days.
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Despite Leicester's insistence that the 21-year-old will remain at the King Power Stadium, the player is reportedly keen to make the switch to West London.
That is despite Fofana only penning a new five-year contract as recently as March, the same time that he made his return from a broken leg sustained in the summer.
Leicester are yet to make a first-team addition during the current transfer window, a consequence of a lack of room in their squad and finances having already been stretched in the past.
While Rodgers has publicly acknowledged that outgoings are required on some level, it is yet to be determined whether they will take the opportunity to cash in on their most prized asset.
Ethan Ampadu and Callum Hudson-Odoi are said to be among the players who may be included in any proposal or negotiated in a separate deal.
Darren Plant
