Chelsea hope to have the inside running for Sevilla midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia as the chase for his signature steps up this week.

Chelsea are battling Real Madrid for the France U20 star, but hope their loan deal for Marko Marin helps smooth negotiations in their favour.

Sevilla have confirmed turning down one offer of €9 million - believed to be from Chelsea - for Kondogbia, but developments could accelerate with Marin's teammate, Oriol Romeu, also a loan target for the Spanish Liga outfit.