Chelsea face a battle with Bayern Munich for the signing of Stefan de Vrij.
According to a report in The Sun the Dutch defender has informed Lazio that he won’t be renewing his contract which has 18 months left to run.
Lazio are determined to get top dollar for the 24-year-old rather than wait until the summer when the transfer fee will slip further.
Antonio Conte is a big fan of the Dutchman who could slip easily into his preferred three man defensive set up.
Chelsea are also keen on Virgil van Dijk but would be hopeful of picking up de Vrij for under £30m.
The Lazio man is in his third season in Serie A after spending five seasons with Feyenoord where he briefly captained the side.
Despite leading the Premier League going into the new year Conte is determined to improve his squad and was promised money to spend before getting the £50m Oscar windfall.