"?Antonio Conte is considering changing tact in his pursuit of a new defender this summer with Torino's Nikola Maksimovic being lined up for a move to Stamford Bridge instead of Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly.
"?Reported in the Mail, Maksimovic has been on the West London club's radar for a number of months however, Koulibaly was highlighted as a key transfer target as Conte seeks to find a long-term replacement for captain John Terry.
With Napoli haggling over the proposed value of their 25-year-old defender, the Premier League side are toying with the idea of shifting their focus altogether.
The Serbian international has grown frustrated at Torino, and the Blues have been alerted after the defender failed to report for training as the club step up their preparations for the upcoming Serie A campaign.
Maksimovic is keen to play under Conte in the Premier League and is working to engineer a move out of the Italian side having joined them in 2013 on a season long loan from Red Star Belgrade, before making the move permanent a year later.
Having made 66 appearances for the club, the Serb broke into the side as a central defender but has also been deployed on the right side of midfield, making him an extremely attractive proposition to Conte.
With the Italian manager keen to impose a new playing style on the Blues, favouring a back line consisting of just three players, owner Roman Abramovich is in the market to reinforce the defence that struggled for long periods of last season.
Chelsea have a new defensive target as Conte grows frustrated over Koulibaly stalemate https://t.co/1LriH1g6eZ pic.twitter.com/VKVRMUk4V8
Chelsea have been on the hunt for a new centre half for a number of years now. New Manchester City signing John Stones was approached on a number of occasions whilst an Everton player during Jose Mourinho's time in charge at the Bridge, whilst Koulibaly has been linked with the Blues consistently this summer.