​Chelsea given free run to sign Monaco whizkid Tchouameni | OneFootball

Chelsea appear to have no competition in their quest to sign Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.

The defensive midfielder is a huge target for the Blues, while they are also eyeing West Ham United's Declan Rice.

According to football.london, the 21-year-old Frenchman is seen as N'Golo Kante's successor at both Chelsea and international level.

Tchouameni was previously linked to Manchester United and Liverpool, but their interest may have cooled.

"In terms of being the potential future fulcrum of Chelsea's midfield, yes," French football expert Jonathan Johnson told football.london.

"However, I would argue that Tchouameni has the potential to do more than just replace Kante. The Monaco man has the makings of a rare complete midfielder whereas Kante has not built his reputation upon attacking prowess. Tchouameni could ultimately be the player Chelsea fans hoped Bakayoko would develop into.

"Tchouameni at the top of his game is a force of nature and has the potential to be the player that Tuchel builds his new-look midfield around.

"My impression is that Kante is closer to the end of his Chelsea story than the start, so it would make sense that Tuchel looks to blend Tchouameni more with Jorginho and Kovacic than his fellow Frenchman."