Chelsea 'to sign Jamie Vardy for £30m'

Chelsea are stepping up their pursuit of Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy in the wake of Jose Mourinho's departure from Stamford Bridge, according to the Evening Standard.

The newspaper claims that the Blues will attempt to woo the league's top striker to London with a £30m offer when the transfer window reopens for business next month.

Chelsea had previously been credited with an interest in Vardy but Mourinho reportedly "wasn't interested because he felt the England international didn't suit his style of play".

Speaking after Leicester's 2-1 win over Chelsea on Monday, manager Claudio Ranieri ruled out a sale of Vardy, claiming that he 'didn't have a price'.

Other reported January targets for Chelsea include Everton's John Stones, Alex Teixeira and Marquinhos.