Chelsea have been handed a major boost in their pursuit for the services of reportedly unhappy Everton defender Lucas Digne, according to various reports.
Thomas Tuchel's side emerged as potential suitors for the 28-year-old in the January transfer window, according to The Athletic, via Italian outlet Calciomercato.
The France international is unhappy at Goodison Park having been dropped from the squad by Rafa Benitez following a disagreement between the pair, as per The Athletic.
While the Blues' upcoming clash with the Toffees could hand Digne an audition at Stamford Bridge and therefore offer Marina Granovskaia a mere advantage over her competitors, Everton's latest January transfer hint is far more revealing.
Everton have stepped up their interest in Ukrainian defender Vitaly Mykolenko, who is worth £15.3 million as per Transfermarkt, to replace Digne 'as soon as possible', according to 90min, offering a hint into the Toffees' stance on Digne's future.
Anita Abayomi was joined by football scouting and analysis writer David Hughes live on the Carefree Chelsea 'Bridge Breakdown' show to delve into the prospect of Digne swapping Merseyside for west London in January ahead of the clash between the two sides.
Hughes kickstarted the discussion by outlining how the French left-back has been held back by his boss' defensive tactics but, despite poor showings lately, remains an exciting option for Chelsea.
"Digne feels like he's being shackled somewhat," he said. "He's a very offensive full-back, which most are in the modern game, but Benitez is insisting he does a lot more defensive work.
"He hasn't registered an assist all season and no goals either and I think that's all down to the tactics as opposed to his performances, so that's something that I want to point out to Chelsea fans.
"He's looked pretty poor this year, he's had his hands tied a little bit but if he was put in that team Chelsea side I think he'd do really well - he's been one of Everton's best performers."
Hughes added by comparing Digne, who's worth £31.5 million as per Transfermarkt, to Chilwell before alluding to Everton's growing financial concerns that could play into Roman Abramovich's hands.
"He's very Chilwell-esque, he's got a lot of the traits that would see him thrive in the side. Digne's at a level where he could probably be competing for a Champions League team playing week in, week out, certainly whilst Chelsea are obviously without some of their key players.
"Everton are a little bit of a mess at the moment so Chelsea could profit."
Would you welcome Digne to Stamford Bridge? Follow our Carefree Chelsea team Jake and Anita on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts in the comments section below.
