"Looking into the situation" - Insider now drops Chelsea transfer claim on Essien-like £30m ace

Chelsea ‘need to be exploring’ bringing PSV Eindhoven midfielder Ibrahim Sangare to the club this summer, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The highly-rated 24-year-old has been linked with a host of Premier League clubs in recent weeks after enjoying another stellar season at the Philips Stadion.

According to the Daily Mirror, Chelsea are planning an overhaul of their first-team squad over the coming months and are ‘tracking’ Sangare ahead of a potential move.

The report claims that PSV value the Ivory Coast international at £30 million and Thomas Tuchel’s charges have identified him as cheaper alternative to Declan Rice.

West Ham manager David Moyes has publicly claimed Rice will not be allowed to depart the London Stadium for less than £150m, putting him out of the Blues’ price range.

However, Chelsea are not the only side eager to prise Sangare away from PSV, with fellow Premier League sides Aston Villa, Leicester City and Manchester United all credited with an interest.

It seems as though the 6 foot 3 engine room operator will be one of the hottest properties on the market this summer and could be heading to English shores imminently.

Italian outlet Sports Mediaset have disclosed that Chelsea are closing in on an agreement with Ivan Perisic, and Jones believes the 33-year-old is ‘probably more likely’ to end up in west London than Sangare.

In an exclusive interview with GiveMeSport, he said: “Sangare, I’m not convinced that that’s where he ends up.

Barcelona set to sell Man United target De Jong? Find out more on The Football Terrace…

“I mean, Chelsea will be looking into the situation, if for no other reason than the fact that all of their rivals are at the moment, so they need to be exploring it too.

“It’ll be