Chelsea have made AS Roma ace Miralem Pjanic a potential £12m replacement for Frank Lampard who is out of contract at the end of the season.
There are other contenders for the Bosnian international as well with Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona who could be tempted into a possible January bid.
England’s Lampard, 34, is out of contract at the end of the season and admitted in Japan, where Chelsea are preparing for today’s World Club final against Corinthians of Brazil, that he fears his career with the Blues is over.
Pjanic, 22, is regarded as one of the outstanding young midfield players in Europe and has also been linked with superteam Barcelona. Tottenham were the first Premier League club to show interest when Harry Redknapp was manager there – but it is believed his successor, Andre Villas-Boas, has other targets.
Pjanic is under contract in Rome until 2015 and earns £3.6million a year but could almost double his money by joining Chelsea or French giants Paris St-Germain. A move to Paris would see Pjanic join his third French club after Metz and Lyon, who sold him to Roma for £9m.
But Chelsea will attempt to clinch a deal in next month’s transfer window and if Roma will not sell then, they will try again in the summer.