Chelsea are lining up a €12m (£10.3m) bid for Besiktas goalkeeper Ersin Destanoglu, according to Fotomac.
The Turkish publication claims that there was a “meeting” between Besiktas head coach Sergen Yalcin and Chelsea technical mentor Claude Makelele, where Destanoglu was discussed.
It is believed that Makelele was keen to gather more information about Destanoglu ahead of the Blues putting in a formal offer for the 20-year-old.
Makelele’s involvement does suggest that Destanoglu is being looked at as a potential goalkeeper for the future, rather than as a new addition to the first-team squad.
Since coming back to Stamford Bridge, Makelele has been involved with the youth setup and Destanoglu could well be a player they have identified as having the right attributes to become Chelsea’s number one day.
The Turkish Under 21 international is currently a regular starter for Besiktas, having played 13 games this season, so we shall see if Chelsea do make a move for the player in the New Year.