Centre-back Antonio Rudiger has admitted that he has already "had contact" with out-of-contract Bayern Munich defender David Alaba as Chelsea continue to be linked with a move for his services.
The Austrian international, who can operate at either centre-back or left-back, is out-of-contract at Bayern this summer and has already confirmed that he will not be signing a new contract.
Alaba, who has been on Bayern's books since 2008, has been heavily linked with a whole host of clubs in the last few months, including Chelsea and Spanish giants Real Madrid.
Blues head coach Thomas Tuchel is likely to be prioritising a move for a central-defender this summer, with Thiago Silva now at the age of 36 and uncertainty surrounding the long-term future of Fikayo Tomori, who is currently on loan at AC Milan.
The Blues had been linked with RB Leipzig ace Dayot Upamecano but he has recently agreed to join Bayern in the summer, meaning Chelsea could now switch their full focus to landing Alaba.
And for Rudiger, it appears as though he may be keen on seeing the Blues add Alaba to their ranks, confirming that he has already spoken to him.
"If Chelsea were to decide on of the three players as a transfer target, I would be available to answer any questions," said Rudiger, as quoted by German journalist Christian Falk.
"I know Jerome (Boateng) and Niklas (Sule) very well and I've already had contact with David Alaba."
On Tuesday, Alaba confirmed that he would be leaving Bayern at the end of this season, but he refused to give anything away on who is next club may be, despite Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano insisting that Madrid are leading the race to sign him.
"I have personally made the decision to try something new after this season and to leave the club," said Alaba.
"It wasn't an easy decision, I've been here for 13 years and the club is very important to me.
"I am looking for a new challenge. It wasn't a financial decision. I still have six to seven years to play football and now I wanted to try something new.
"Of course I took my time, after 13 years it's not an easy decision. I then decided for myself to try something new. I have not decided yet where I'm going."
Should Chelsea win the race to sign Alaba this summer he could be perfect for their new-look system under Tuchel, as he is capable of playing at both centre-back and left-back. Tuchel has adopted an approach with three central-defenders and a left wing-back, meaning there would be no shortage of opportunities for the 28-year-old to nail down a place in the team.
Alaba has been key in Bayern's success in recent seasons, winning more than 20 trophies with the club, including two UEFA Champions League titles.
