Newcastle United captain Jamaal Lascelles is an £18m target for Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, according to a report.
The 22-year-old was handed the armband following Fabricio Coloccini's departure earlier this year and already has experience of playing in the top flight.
It is claimed by The Sun that Conte is desperate to fully rebuild his defence and is looking for homegrown talent to join the club, with Lascelles among those to have been tracked by the Italian since he officially took charge in the summer.
Chelsea, whose three-man defence for Wednesday's defeat to West Ham United had a combined age of 94 years, are also said to be keeping tabs on Tottenham Hotspur's Ben Davies, Middlesbrough's Ben Gibson and Burnley's Michael Keane.
Lascelles has made 17 appearances for Newcastle in all competitions this season, 15 of which have come in the Championship.
