Chelsea have reportedly emerged as a potential destination for RB Leipzig midfielder Konrad Laimer.
Currently in his fifth campaign at the Bundesliga outfit, Laimer has made a total of 124 starts and 41 substitute outings in all competitions.
As well as making regular appearances, the 25-year-old's versatility has proven to be a big asset to Leipzig with the player able to be deployed at right-back, wing-back and in central midfield.
However, with less than a year remaining on his contract, there is currently every expectation that he will choose to take on a new challenge next summer.
That desire may stem from the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and Bayern Munich all being linked with his signature during the most recent transfer window.
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According to Bild, Liverpool are still monitoring the situation with Jurgen Klopp seemingly an admirer of the Austria international.
Nevertheless, the same report indicates that Chelsea are also ready to become involved in the race to secure Laimer's services from 2023-24 onwards.
The West Londoners have just conducted their most expensive transfer window in their history after the takeover from Roman Abramovich of Todd Boehly.
That said, it has been widely speculated that the Blues intend to aggressively attack the upcoming transfer windows in order to continue to transform their squad.
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A move for Laimer as a free agent would instead provide value for money, particularly given his capabilities of being able to feature down the right-hand side of the defence.
With Cesar Azpilicueta now 33 years of age, Chelsea will eventually require a different alternative to Reece James at wing-back.
As fellow admirers Bayern Munich are unable to hold formal discussions with Laimer until next summer, he may not be in any rush to make a final decision on his future.
When commenting on his future last month, Laimer insisted that he will make the final call on his future "calmly, not overnight".
Darren Plant
