Chelsea have jumped to the head of the queue for Sporting CP midfielder Bruno Fernandes.

A Bola says Chelsea have stolen a march on Tottenham and Liverpool in the pursuit of Fernandes.

The Sporting midfielder, 23 is in the sights of the Premier League trio after an impressive first season in Portugal.

And Chelsea have now made contact with the Portuguese international.

But Blues may have to negotiate a hefty fee with Sporting, who inserted a 100million euro (£88m) release fee when they signed him from Sampdoria last summer.

Fernandes has netted 16 goals and laid on 20 assists in his 53 games for Sporting, who sit five points back from league leaders Porto with four games to go.