By Pete O'Rourke, Transfer Correspondent

10th Sep, 2023 | 8:30am

Sources: Chelsea set sights on signing Diarra from club they have special relationship with

Chelsea are keeping close tabs on Strasbourg midfielder Habib Diarra after blocking his potential move to Wolves, sources have told Football Insider.

Football Insider revealed on Friday (8 September) that the Midlands club had a bid for the 19-year-old rejected after Chelsea’s intervention.

And the Blues could now take advantage of their special relationship with Strasbourg to bring Diarra to Stamford Bridge.

A well-placed source has told Football Insider that Chelsea see him as a player who could be ready for the move “sooner rather than later”.

Chelsea believe Diarra is a top talent and were therefore not keen to see him move to Wolves in the summer window.

Strasbourg are owned by BlueCo, Todd Boehly’s consortium which acquired the London club in May 2022.

The relationship is already underway with Chelsea youngster Angelo joining the Ligue 1 outfit on loan for the 2022-23 campaign.

It is expected more players will move to and from Strasbourg in the coming years.

Senegal-born starlet Diarra has played three times for the Alsace-based outfit this season, starting in two of those outings.

He made his France Under-21 debut under the stewardship of Thierry Henry against Denmark on Thursday (7 September).

Diarra made 30 appearances across all competitions for Strasbourg in the 2022-23 campaign, notching three goals and three assists.

He has played in a variety of positions since making his emergence from the club’s academy – including in central midfield, holding midfield and in a right-winger role.

The 19-year-old is under contract until June 2027 after penning a fresh deal last year (2022).

In other news, Chelsea open preliminary talks over new deal worth initial £58m.