Chelsea have reportedly made an enquiry over a potential move for RB Leipzig defender Castello Lukeba.
The Frenchman rose through the youth ranks at Lyon, before going on to make 68 competitive appearances for the first team.
Lukeba's notable performance earned him a £30m move to Leipzig this summer, joining the German club on a five-year contract.
The 21-year-old has been a regular fixture in Marco Rose's side this season, having featured in 37 matches across all competitions.
Lukeba has also started each of Leipzig's last seven Bundesliga matches, helping the club pick up 19 points from a possible 21 while conceding just four times in that period.
Although he has spent less than a year with Leipzig, Lukeba is already attracting interest from the Premier League.
According to FootMercato, Chelsea have made contact with Leipzig over a potential move for Lukeba ahead of next season.
However, Leipzig seemingly view Lukeba as a key player for the future and are reluctant to part ways with the highly-rated defender this summer.
The centre-back has a €70m (£60m) release clause in his Leipzig deal which will become active at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.
Chelsea could face competition from one of their domestic rivals, with Manchester United believed to be showing an interest in the young centre-back.
Chelsea looking for defensive reinforcements
Chelsea's defensive vulnerability was on full display in Tuesday's heavy 5-0 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
Having shipped 57 top-flight goals this term, Mauricio Pochettino's side have set an unwanted club record for the most goals conceded in a single Premier League season.
In addition to their current defensive struggles, Chelsea could see their backline weakened by potential summer departures.
Chelsea are expected to lose the experienced Thiago Silva, with the Brazilian set to leave when his contract expires at the end of June.
Academy product Trevoh Chalobah could also be sold to help the club meet the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules. body check tags ::
