 Chelsea have stepped up their interest in signing Lyon star Bradley Barcola after being rejected by Michael Olise, according to reports. Chelsea news, exclusives and analysis Sign up Privacy Policy The Blues were set to sign Crystal Palace winger Olise after activating a £35m release clause in his contract, but he decided to sign a new deal with the Eagles. Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino wants to bring in at least one more attacking player before the summer transfer window closes. The west Londoners are considering a swoop for Nottingham Forest's Brennan Johnson but wanted to include Trevoh Chalobah as part of a swap deal, which has become complicated as the defender is not keen on moving to the City Ground. Chelsea could launch a cash-only bid, but with Brentford already having a £35m bid rejected and Johnson also attracting interest from Tottenham and West Ham, they may move on to other targets. According to reports in France, Chelsea have now turned to France U21 international Barcola as an alternative option. The 20-year-old can operate as a forward or right winger and has spent his entire senior career at Lyon, where he registered seven goals and 10 assists last season. Unfortunately for Chelsea, they are not the only side looking at Barcola with Manchester City and Paris-Saint Germain also linked to the young Frenchman. Barcola has not decided on his next club just yet, though, and could be tempted to move to London instead of Manchester or Paris. A number of Chelsea's new signings are French and Barcola already knows Malo Gusto from their time together at Lyon.){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Chelsea have stepped up their interest in signing Lyon star Bradley Barcola after being rejected by Michael Olise, according to reports.
Chelsea news, exclusives and analysis
The Blues were set to sign Crystal Palace winger Olise after activating a £35m release clause in his contract, but he decided to sign a new deal with the Eagles.
Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino wants to bring in at least one more attacking player before the summer transfer window closes.