Chelsea have earmarked Nice right-back Youcef Atal as a transfer target this summer, reports The Daily Telegraph.
Maurizio Sarri’s side are still waiting to discover whether they will be forced to serve a FIFA-imposed transfer ban this summer.
Chelsea’s plans for next season hinge entirely on the outcome of their appeal, which is why the futures of several of their loan players also remains unclear.
The west London outfit have still put plans in place for players they would like to sign and Atal features prominently.
It caps a remarkable 12 months for Atal, who joined Nice as an unknown quantity last summer in a deal worth just €3m.
Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich are also monitoring the £35m-rated right-back, with Nice set to make an enormous profit on the youngster.
Atal has made 25 league appearances for Nice this season and scored a hat-trick in an unfamiliar left wing position at the weekend.
The Algeria international has scored six league goals in total and won the WhoScored Man of the Match award on seven occasions.
In fact, only Nicolas Pepe (12) and Kylian Mbappe (eight) have won the WhoScored Man of the Match award more times than Atal (seven) in Ligue 1 this season.