Chelsea have stepped up their pursuit for a right-back with Borussia Dortmund defender Lukasz Piszczek on top of the European Champions' shopping list.
Chelsea released Jose Bosingwa after the end of last season with Portuguese compatriot Paulo Ferreira also expected to leave the Stamford Bridge club.
That leaves the Blues short in the right-back position, with Branislav Ivanovic filling in admirably, despite being a center back by trade.
According to Metro, Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo has made a right-back his number one priority with Piszczek his number one target.
Chelsea are also considering Ajax Amsterdam's Gregory Van Der Wiel, France and Lille right-back Mathieu Debuchy and Manchester United's Rafael Da Silva. United have rebuffed all approaches from Chelsea for Rafael, and with another target Theodore Gebre Selassie signing for Werder Bremen from Slovan Liberec, Di Matteo has turned his attentions towards Piszczek.
Poland coach Franciszek Smuda had claimed Piszczek could be on his way to Real Madrid, but with no confirmation on the deal, Chelsea are confident of tempting the 27-year-old to move to Stamford Bridge. Piszczek had an excellent campaign with Dortmund last season, helping them to the League and Cup double.
It is understood Di Matteo wants a deal in place by the end of next week, with a budget of around £15 million ($23 million) already allocated for the signing.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid have confirmed Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois will return for another season. Courtois spent the entire last season on loan with the Spanish club and exhibited great form, helping Atletico to the Europa League title. "Thibaut Courtois will next season play at Atletico Madrid after Atletico on Wednesday reached an agreement with Chelsea on transfer for a year," the Spanish club said on the team's official website.
"The Belgian international goalkeeper played all of last season on loan playing 37 games in La Liga and 15 in the UEFA Europa League -- a competition won in Bucharest on May 9."
