Chelsea and Tottenham join fierce five-club Premier League race for standout Serie A star | OneFootball

Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are two of FIVE Premier League clubs tracking Udinese defender Oumar Soulet, sources confirm, while several other top European sides are also showing interest.

The 25-year-old joined Udinese from Red Bull Salzburg in a surprising move last January and he has been outstanding since arriving in Italy.

Soulet has started all 17 of Udinese’s Serie A matches this season and has helped his side to keep four clean sheets, cementing his reputation as one of the club’s most important players.

The defender’s form has seen him attract a great deal of attention with Inter Milan, AC Milan and Roma all impressed.

However, we understand that a move to England could yet be an option for the Frenchman.

We can reveal that in recent weeks a number of sides have been paying close attention to his displays.

Sources confirm Chelsea, Tottenham, and Crystal Palace have all watched him in action, while Manchester United and West Ham are also long-term admirers of the player.

FIVE Prem sides tracking Serie A defender

As we have previously reported, Enzo Maresca is keen to add another centre-back to his Chelsea squad.

The Blues’ main centre-back pairing this season has been Trevoh Chalobah and Wesley Fofana, due to the fact that Levi Colwill is sidelined with an ACL that could rule him out for the entire campaign.

Fofana has generally played well this term but was left out of the starting XI against Aston Villa last time out to “manage his fitness condition”, per Maresca, as he has previously struggled with injury. Benoit Badiashile replaced him.

Other options for Chelsea are Tosin Adarabioyo, youngster Josh Acheampong and Axel Disasi, though the latter seems to have no future at Stamford Bridge.

Soulet could be a good option to come in and compete for a starting spot at Chelsea.

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank, meanwhile, is keen to add more competition for starting pair Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, amid speculation that Radu Dragusin could leave the club.

Crystal Palace’s interest in signing a new centre-back is nothing new, given Marc Guehi his highly likely to leave Selhurst Park, possibly in January, but if not then almost certainly at the end of the season, when the captain’s contract is set to expire.

Soulet is a player to keep a close eye on for those three clubs but long-term admirers Man Utd and West Ham could also be in the mix should his situation open up.

Latest Chelsea news: Triple signing urged / McAtee linked

Meanwhile, Gary Lineker has told Chelsea to make three crucial signings in a bid to save their season as pressure on Maresca begins to ramp up.

Lineker believes Chelsea need to sign a new centre-forward, centre-back and possibly a new goalkeeper if they are to seriously compete at the top of the Premier League table.

In other news, Chelsea have been linked with a surprise move for Nottingham Forest playmaker James McAtee, formerly of Manchester City.

The rumours have led to comparisons of when the Blues signed Cole Palmer from Man City, which of course was hugely successful.

However, new reports suggest that BlueCo are looking at McAtee with a switch to Strasbourg in mind, rather than to Chelsea.