Chelsea prepare £90million to hijack Arsenal target in January

Chelsea have softened their interest in Celtic forward Moussa Dembele but will continue to pay attention to reinforce their attacking line in the New Year with Thomas Lemar among their main targets, as per the Evening Standard.

Ex-Fulham forward Dembele has played a vital role in Celtic’s dominance of the Scottish League since his transfer north of the border, netting 21 goals in 42 games.

The English Premier League champions were linked with a transfer for the 21-year-old during the summer window but have been denied by Celtic’s £40million price tag, for a player that has been eyed by rivals Manchester United.

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte remains keen on strengthening up front this New year with Belgian Michy Batshuayi, who hasn’t begun an English  Premier League match since middle of October, not trusted by the Italian to lead the Blues line in the absence of Spaniard Alvaro Morata despite the former Real Madrid stars absence through fatigue and suspension.

French youngster Thomas Lemar, who played a key role in AS Monaco’s surprise Ligue 1 title success last term and run to the UEFA Champions League semi final, has also been closely monitored by Liverpool and Arsenal, who were allegedly given the green light to start negotiations in December.