Chelsea have received a boost in their pursuit of Ben Chilwell with the Leicester left-back open to joining Frank Lampard's side, claims The Daily Mirror.
Chilwell has been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea in recent months, as Lampard desperately wants a new left-back for next season.
Neither Marcos Alonso nor Emerson feature in Lampard's long-term plans at Chelsea and Chilwell is his overwhelming first-choice target.
Chelsea are in the process of wrapping up a surprise deal for RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner and indeed on ramping up their pursuit of Chilwell soon after.
The England international has developed into one of the best full-backs in the Premier League over the last 12 months under Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers.
Chilwell has not informed Leicester he wants to leave at the end of the season but he is interested by the prospect of joining Chelsea.
One huge problem Chelsea will face is the transfer fee involved, as Leicester reportedly rate the 23-year-old even higher than Harry Maguire, whom they sold to Manchester United for £80m last summer.
However, with transfer fees expected to tumble as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, it's unlikely Chelsea wiill want to pay anything close to the £80m-mark for a full-back.
Leicester will also argue Chilwell's immediate future is at the King Power Stadium, as they are currently in a better position to offer Champions League football.
The Foxes are third in the Premier League and eight points clear of fifth, while Chelsea have Manchester United breathing down their necks for fourth spot.
All of this may prove meaningless, however, as the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) may decide to throw out Manchester City's appeal of a two-year ban from European football.
Chilwell, who was once linked with a move to Liverpool, has spent his entire career at boyhood club Leicester.
Despite making 13 fewer league appearances than last season, Chilwell has already been directly involved in more goals (5) than the 2018/19 campaign (4).
