Chelsea are set to lead the chase for £100m-rated England star Alex Scott. Bournemouth may be tempted to sell in January and cash in on the sought-after midfielder who is into the final two years of his contract.
Blues believe they hold the advantage
That will spark a new scramble for Scott with Chelsea believing they are in pole position should he become available with Bournemouth still unlikely to sell if they are in any sort of relegation danger.
Chelsea had a £64m bid turned down in the summer but with interest still high and the player's contract running down, Bournemouth may be ready to sell in the next transfer window.
Liverpool and other suitors circling
While Chelsea remain keen on the 23-year-old, Liverpool are also watching developments with former Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola now in charge at Anfield.
Every other top club looked in the summer with Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City all keen but they were told in no uncertain terms he was not for sale. That position may now change if the right bid comes in.
Chelsea's midfield gamble
Chelsea did gamble on selling Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City at the end of the summer window without having secured a ready-made replacement. They failed with another late enquiry for Scott and were left high and dry after a move for Monaco's Lamine Camara fell through at the 11th hour.
But Chelsea decided to cash in anyway on Fernandez and yet it leaves them short in that department with Scott an obvious candidate. Liverpool also still want to strengthen in midfield while there will be other potential suitors because of Scott's growing reputation.
Scott made his England debut in the last Nations League campaign and that will only add to his value in the transfer market. He starred on his first start against Croatia in the 7-0 win in Rijeka. Scott is expected to be out for several weeks after aggravating a thigh problem while on international duty.
