Chelsea join race for Bundesliga star

The Premier League returns on Saturday with Manchester City welcoming Liverpool to The Etihad for a potentially crucial encounter.

City will be looking to close the gap to league leaders Arsenal, who play Leeds United later in the afternoon.

Elsewhere, Chelsea will be hoping to return to winning ways when they face Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge.

Following a disastrous start to the year, The Blues had won three consecutive matches across all competitions prior to a 2-2 draw against Everton just before the international break.

With the summer transfer window on the horizon, Chelsea continue to be linked with a number of players across Europe.

Now, The Blues are said to have entered the race for a Bundesliga star.

According to 90min, the west London outfit are interested in Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Manu Kone.

Rice is top of Chelsea’s list of midfield targets

The report claims that Chelsea will face competition from a number of top European clubs, including Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain, for the midfielder’s signature.

Both Liverpool and Newcastle United are also said to have scouted the midfielder, who is enjoying a fine season in the German top flight.

So far this term, Kone has made 25 appearances across all competitions, and it appears that his performances haven’t gone unnoticed.

Kone, 21, is currently contracted to Monchengladbach until the summer of 2025, but it appears increasingly likely that he could leave the club this summer.

Chelsea are said to have a number of midfield targets in mind, with West Ham United and England star top of their list.

Southampton’s Romeo Lavia is another player that they have shown an interest in as they look for potential alternatives for Rice, who is set to be the subject of significant interest this summer.