Chelsea have reportedly placed emphasis on signing Brighton & Hove Albion defender Marc Cucurella in the summer transfer window.

The Blues are not short of options in the middle of the pitch with Ben Chilwell, Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri all potentially featuring in the Blues’ squad next season.

However, while Lyon have an option to buy Emerson following his loan spell, there are only 17 months left on his contract at Stamford Bridge.

According to Goal, the European champions may make an approach for Cucurella in order to provide competition for Ben Chilwell in the long term.

The 23-year-old defender has been sensational in his first Premier League season, making a total of 19 starts for Brighton.

The Spain international is contacted to Brighton until 2026.