Chelsea will look to bolster their squad in January with a star who is currently lighting up the Bundesliga with their impressive displays.
In September, Mauricio Pochettino called for patience from Chelsea supporters after an inconsistent start to life at Stamford Bridge, as he highlighted that bedding in an abundance of new signings can't happen overnight.
And it seems that the Chelsea owners are willing to give Pochettino more time and faith by providing the Argentine with even more signings in January - despite having spent over £1bn in the past three transfer windows.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are keen on signing Edmond Tapsoba from Bayer Leverkusen, who has flourished under Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen. Currently top of the league, Leverkusen have hugely benefitted from the presence of the Burkina Faso centre-back.
Described by the Bundesliga as a player with "incredible composure, speed, strength and exceptional passing ability", Tapsoba only recently signed a new long-term contract with the German side, keeping him at the BayArena until 2028.
Valued at around £35m by Transfermarkt, it is believed that Leverkusen will demand a much larger transfer fee to let the 24-year-old depart in January. Romano suggests that a "big proposal" is needed - though Chelsea have shown they're not averse to stumping up large piles of cash for talented players in the recent past.
His arrival could be helped by the departure of Trevoh Chalobah, who seems destined to leave Stamford Bridge in January. Though currently out injured, Bayern Munich and Manchester United have both been linked with £40m moves for the Englishman, freeing up space in the squad and funds in the budget for Tapsoba to make the switch.
Tapsoba would still face plenty of competition getting into Pochettino's starting XI at Chelsea, however. Thiago Silva, Levi Colwill, Axel Disasi, Benoit Badiashile and Wesley Fofana are all currently employed by the Blues at centre-back, with each player expecting plenty of game time themselves.
More Chelsea stories
Chelsea are reportedly seeking a £500 million loan in order to continue buying players, despite an outlay of around £1 billion over the past year.
And Blues manager Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that the west London club have "already started to work" on January signings.
Bringing in a striker is understood to be a priority and Napoli's Victor Osimhen is one potential target, with the Nigerian's future in Italy up in the air after he was bizarrely mocked by his own club on social media recently.
