Chelsea are ready to rival Manchester City in the race to sign Rennes winger Jeremy Doku, with the Blues considering the Belgian after a failed bid to sign Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise.
Manchester City are interested in signing Doku as the Premier League champions look to add a different profile of winger to their squad, following the sale of Riyad Mahrez to Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli.
Fabrizio Romano reported this week that City were preparing an official bid for the 21-year-old, but could now face competition from Chelsea with 90min claiming the Blues are also interested.
Doku has been placed on Chelsea’s shortlist of potential signings, alongside Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson, Lyon’s Rayan Cherki and Ajax forward Mohammed Kudus.
Chelsea’s interest comes after a failed bid to sign Olise from Palace, with the Frenchman turning down a move across the capital to sign a new deal with the Eagles.
West Ham also hold an interest in Doku and are reportedly ready to offer the Belgium international a higher salary, but face a fight to convince the winger to turn down interest from higher up the Premier League.
Rennes are understood to value Doku – who scored seven goals in all competitions last season and is nicknamed The Belgian Flash – at around £45m.
