Chelsea step up transfer pursuit of £60m Ben Chilwell as Lampard loses out on No1 target Alex Telles to PSG

CHELSEA are set to ramp up their interest in Leicester’s Ben Chilwell after Paris Saint-Germain edged them in the chase for Porto’s Alex Telles.

Blues boss Frank Lampard desperately wants to bring a new left-back to Stamford Bridge to strengthen his backline.

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He has long-been linked with both players after failing to be convinced by Marcos Alonso, Emerson and Cesar Azpilicueta, who has deputised in his unnatural position several times.

Both Telles and Chilwell were his top targets, with a move for the £22m-rated Brazilian favoured instead of the more-expensive England international, who the Foxes want at least £50m for.

However, Chelsea’s hopes of bringing the 27-year-old Telles to West London are believed to have taken a huge blow.

Brazilian outlet - which has close ties to the defender’s former club Gremio - claim PSG have muscled in front of the Premier League side in the transfer battle.

And he is expected to now head to the French capital when the window re-opens to fill the void created by the soon-to-be free agent Layvin Kurzawa at Parc des Princes.

That means Chelsea will step up their pursuit of Chilwell.

Leicester are loath to lose one of their biggest talents, and that could mean Lampard’s outfit end up forking out three times the fee they were willing to pay for Telles.

Chilwell, 23, came through the Leicester academy and replaced Christian Fuchs as the first-choice left-back at the King Power.

Over the past year, his performances meant Gareth Southgate made him among his favoured left-backs in the Three Lions set up.

There was plenty of transfer interest in him last year with Manchester City linked with a move for the defender.