"?Chelsea and Tottenham are both being linked with a summer move for highly-rated Lazio centre-back Stefan de Vrij, but the Dutch international would reportedly prefer a move to the latter rather than the current Premier League leaders.
Chelsea have a number of potential centre-backs on their radar as the club looks for a replacement for departing captain John Terry - Benfica's Victor Lindelof was another name mentioned only this week - and De Vrij has become just one of the latest rumours.
The 24-year-old, who is apparently also of interest to Manchester United as a long-term partner to Eric Bailly, and Lazio could use the attention that De Vrij is getting to command a fee in the region of €40m.
Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and both Milan clubs are others name by Italian outlet Il Tempo as potential suitors.
However, in a separate report credited to Il Tempo, it has also been alleged that Tottenham are actually ready to pay £30m and that De Vrij himself is keen on the idea of a move to White Hart Lane to work under the management of Mauricio Pochettino.
Exactly how much truth there is to that particular claim remains to be seen.
But it could mean that Chelsea are forced to look elsewhere for their centre-back needs. That may be a more focused attempt to beat Manchester United to the signature of Lindelof, or they may even return to Napoli with a bid for Kalidou Koulibaly after being turned away last summer.
Juventus star Leonardo Bonucci was thought to be a target, but the Italian international, a real favourite of Antonio Conte's, only recently committed his long-term future to Juve with a new long-term contract that saw his valuation go through the roof.
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