Chelsea have reportedly already touched base with Atletico Madrid over a deal for Saul Niguez.
The La Liga champions are thought to be open to selling the 26-year-old this summer, with Saul starting 22 of Atletico's 38 games en route to the 2020-21 Spanish top-flight title.
Manchester United, Liverpool and Bayern Munich are all supposedly in the hunt for Saul's services, but Chelsea are understood to have stolen a march on their rivals in the race for the midfielder.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the Blues have contacted Atletico over the possibility of a summer deal for Saul, but the Colchoneros' asking price could prove to be a stumbling block.
The report adds that it would take a fee of £68.8m to prise Saul away from the Wanda Metropolitano - a price that Chelsea are not willing to fork out while they prioritise a top-class striker.
Saul's contract at Atletico does not expire for another five years, but his struggles last season led to him being left out of Spain's Euro 2020 squad.
Ben Knapton
