Chelsea have reportedly added AFC Bournemouth star Illia Zabarnyi to their list of possible defensive targets ahead of the January transfer window.
The 22-year-old Ukraine international has massively impressed on the south coast since he joined the Cherries from Dynamo Kyiv for around £24m in January 2023.
Zabarnyi, who has previously attracted transfer interest from Arsenal, extended his Bournemouth deal last summer and is under contract at the club until 2029.
Chelsea now want to bring Zabarnyi to Stamford Bridge with head coach Enzo Maresca a huge fan of the young centre-back, according to Football Transfers and the BBC Gossip column.
Zabarnyi, capped 43 times by Ukraine, has established himself as one of Bournemouth’s most important stars and a real fan-favourite at Vitality Stadium.
Chelsea would likely be forced to pay a high transfer fee to secure Zabarnyi’s services given the length of his current deal and his importance to Andoni Iraola.
But it should be noted that Zabarnyi is not the only player on Chelsea’s defensive wishlist and they are also considering a swoop for Benfica’s Tomás Araújo.
The Blues have ‘made contact’ with the Portuguese club over a potential move for the central defender, 22, who is the same age and position as Bournemouth’s Zabarnyi.
Chelsea actually tried to sign Araújo last summer but they left it too late before the window closed, says transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
‘Chelsea are actively monitoring the centre-back market,’ Romano said. ‘Let’s see if it’s going to be January, let’s see if it’s going to be summer.
‘It’s not guaranteed it’s going to be January because in the last days of the summer transfer window, Chelsea were considering to bring in a new centre-back. For example, a player they are in love with is Tomas Araujo at Benfica.
‘They were considering a move for him, but then nothing happened because Benfica were not selling an important player a few days before the end of the transfer window.
‘Now, I can confirm to you once again that they are monitoring the market. They are following players.’
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