Chelsea have contacted Leicester City to express an interest in signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
No formal offer has been made yet but the 25-year-old is believed to be keen only on a move to Stamford Bridge if he is to leave his boyhood club.
His contract at King Power Stadium runs until 2027.
Dewsbury-Hall is seen as a perfect fit for the style of football Chelsea want to play under new head coach Enzo Maresca, who replaced Mauricio Pochettino in charge earlier this summer.
The pair worked together at Leicester as they secured promotion to the Premier League as winners of the Championship last season.
The midfielder made 49 appearances in all competitions for the Midlands club last term, scoring 12 goals, as they returned to the top flight at the first time of asking.
Brighton & Hove Albion held talks over signing Dewsbury-Hall in January but a move never progressed.
Chelsea have an agreement in principle to sign young forward Marc Guiu from Barcelona, while they are also close to completing the signing of defender Aaron Anselmino from Boca Juniors.
GO DEEPER
The Chelsea depth chart: What is their succession plan for each position?
Maresca interest in Dewsbury-Hall no surprise
Analysis from The Athletic’s Leicester City correspondent Rob Tanner
It isn’t surprising that Maresca would wish to return to Leicester City and try to recruit a gem or two from his Championship-title season, and he placed a huge amount of faith in Dewsbury-Hall.
The academy graduate started 41 of the 46 league games last season in what was a marathon campaign, so he is reliable and robust, but he also showed he was effective with 12 goals and 14 assists in the Championship, often being the player that made the difference.
Brighton and Brentford have shown interest before and while Dewsbury-Hall has stated he isn’t in a rush to leave his boyhood club, a move to a big six side may appeal.
Leicester also have continuing profit and sustainability (PSR) concerns and the end of their accounting year ends on June 30, so Chelsea may be looking to rush through a deal to get a better price, but Leicester have already rejected a £30million bid for him, from Brighton in January.
Dewsbury-Hall will bring energy to Chelsea’s midfield, but he also has quality and an ability to run at defenders as a high eight. More importantly for Maresca, he knows his system of play from last season and could hit the ground running.
(Stephen White – CameraSport via Getty Images)
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
