Strasbourg defender Mohamed Simakan is interesting Chelsea.

The Le 10 Sport says Simakan is set to leave the Ligue 1 club in January, with Nice also interested in the 20-year-old.

It will be a blow to Strasbourg - who have played Simakan in every match so far this season and lie just two points above the relegation zone - so they will be hoping to get at least £13.5million for his services.

Simakan could be seen as one for the future for Chelsea, with Kurt Zouma and 36-year-old free transfer Thiago Silva forming an impressive partnership at the back for the Blues.

But despite the pair's success, along with spending £253million on new players in the summer transfer window, Chelsea find themselves in sixth place with just one victory from their last five matches.

Chelsea will need to fight off competition from AC Milan to sign Simakan, with the Italian club renewing their interest after a failed attempt to buy him for an offer close to £12.5million last summer.