Chelsea are set to submit an improved £100 million bid to lure Alex Scott from Bournemouth in the January transfer window.
According to the Sun, the Blues lead Liverpool in the race to sign the 23-year-old after their summer attempts were blocked.
Chelsea reportedly saw a £64 million bid rejected by the Cherries, who have been unsuccessful in their attempt to hand Scott a new contract.
The England star's future is uncertain as he will enter the final year of his contract in 2027.
Chelsea lead Liverpool in Alex Scott's hunt
Xabi Alonso considers Scott as an option to fill Enzo Fernandez's void following the Argentine's blockbuster switch to Manchester City.
The report added that Chelsea are only considering a move for a midfielder in January after the last-minute approach for AS Monaco's Lamine Camara collapsed.
Meanwhile, Scott has not played for Bournemouth since September as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury he picked up while on international duty with England in October.
The 23-year-old has played five Premier League games this season and has a goal to his name for Marco Rose's side who occupy the eighth position in the league table and second spot in the UEFA Europa League.
Bournemouth adamant on keeping Scott
While Scott's future continues to generate speculation, Bournemouth are hopeful of keeping the Three Lions midfielder beyond June 2028, when his current deal is set to expire.
Bournemouth owner Bill Foley believes the Vitality Stadium remains the best environment for the 23-year-old to reach his potential.
The Cherries have reportedly offered Scott a new deal that could make him the highest earner in the club, ahead of Evanilson's £125,000-per week.
“At this point, we're convinced we're the right place for Alex to be and to stay, and we'll keep on addressing the contract issues with Alex as we move through this year," Foley told talkSPORT.
“We'd love to have Alex stay here and sign a new contract and be part of this team for the long haul.
“We haven't given up, but sometimes players get stars in their eyes, and they think that Chelsea or Manchester City is the right place to go.
“We believe, if we keep on buying infrastructure and a common thread of leadership across the team then we will start keeping more and more players.
“People will be surprised about that, and they'll be able to earn substantial wages here. We have to respect the fact that a lot of our players are younger, and they've come to Bournemouth with the expectation that they'll get time to play and perhaps move on to a bigger team.
“We recognise that my job is to make players feel comfortable and provide them with the infrastructure they need to understand that.
“We're serious about what we're doing. We're in a brand new performance centre and it is as state of the art as they come.
“We're happy with where we are and we believe we'll start making progress in terms of retaining key talent. It may not be this year, it may not be next year in terms of everyone, but we're close.
“We have to prove to the players this is a place they want to be and that they want to stay and they don't want to move on because that's the way we really build a successful team.”
Scott joined Bournemouth from Bristol City in 2023 and he was a key member of the team that helped the Cherries secure their first-ever qualification for European club competition in the 2025-26 Premier League season.
