According to reports in Express Sport, Chelsea are lining up a £40million (₦19 billion) bid for West Ham's centre-back Issa Diop this January.
The French defender has emerged as the Blues' top target this month as Frank Lampard is keen on bolstering his defensive line.
Lampard is known with the opinion of working with young players and the 22-year-old defender is a perfect fit for the current project he is running at the Stamford Bridge. But he faces strong competition from London rivals Tottenham who are also interested in the Frenchman.
Diop joined West Ham last season from French Ligue 1 outfit Toulouse in a club-record deal of £22m at that time and their current manager David Moyes is not ready to part ways with the Frenchman.
In contrast to Chelsea's £40million bid, the Hammers are holding out a fee in a region of £50million.
Another player who is also on Chelsea's radar is former player Nathan Ake who turns out for Bournemouth but the Dutchman is not available due to hamstring injury and he is expected to be out for a month.