Chelsea are reportedly set to battle Paris Saint-Germain for the signature of a highly-rated Benfica defender in the final few hours of the summer transfer window.
The West Londoners are currently the biggest spenders in Europe so far this summer, forking out in excess of £200m on 11 new players under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
Four of those new additions are defenders including Tosin Adarabioyo, who has joined on a free transfer, while Renato Veiga, Aaron Anselmino and Caleb Wiley have also made permanent moves to Stamford Bridge - the latter two have since left on loan.
Chelsea are thought to be prioritising the addition of a new centre-forward, with talks said to have been held over potential deals for Victor Osimhen of Napoli and Ivan Toney of Brentford.
However, Enzo Maresca's men could also bolster their ranks in defence and have identified a Portuguese youngster as a potential target.
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Chelsea, PSG 'interested' in Araujo
According to CNN Portugal, via journalist Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea have added Tomas Araujo to their shortlist of targets in case one defender leaves before the transfer window closes.
It is claimed that the Blues are yet to submit a bid for Araujo, but the Premier League club 'really appreciate' the defender.
Chelsea could face competition for the signature of Araujo, though, as Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain are also said to be interest in the Benfica star.
PSG are believed to have identified Araujo as one of their top targets in case Milan Skriniar accepts a proposal from Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr.
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Chalobah out, Araujo in at Chelsea?
Araujo has been with Benfica since the age of 14 and after a spell on loan with Gil Vicente in 2022-23, the defender has since broken into the first team under Roger Schmidt.
The Portugal Under-21 international, who can play at centre-back or right-back, made 20 first-team appearances for Benfica last season and has since started each of the club's opening three top-flight matches this term.
Chelsea could step up their interest in Araujo if Trevoh Chalobah departs before the deadline; the academy graduate is not part of Maresca's first-team plans and has recently been training with the club's Under-21s squad.
Crystal Palace and Aston Villa have both been credited with an interest in the 25-year-old, who is valued by the Blues between £20m and £25m.
Elsewhere, Axel Disasi has allegedly attracted interest from Newcastle United, but it seems unlikely at this stage that a deal with materialise, while Ben Chilwell looks increasingly likely to stay at Stamford Bridge despite being told by Marasca that he will struggle for game time if he remains at the club.
Oliver Thomas
