Report: Chelsea joins pursuit of Monaco's Thomas Lemar

There's another contender in the race to sign Thomas Lemar from AS Monaco with news that Chelsea is contemplating bringing the French international to Stamford Bridge in January.

Last summer, both Arsenal and Liverpool failed in their attempts to convince Monaco to sell the 23-year-old. Although there's no word on whether Arsenal will revive its interest, Liverpool is reportedly prepared to return to the bargaining table.

But the two Premier League teams will face even greater competition this time, with Chelsea weighing up a bid for Lemar during the winter transfer window that could result in the Blues spending a club-record £80 million, reports Matt Law of The Telegraph.

Chelsea's believed to have an advantage over its Premier League rivals: the ability to offer players, either on loan or permanently, in exchange for Lemar's services.

The defending Premier League champion may also take advantage of its close relationship with Monaco sporting director Michael Emenalo, who left Chelsea in November to become the Ligue 1 side's sporting director.

If Chelsea doesn't present a bid to Monaco in January, the club's reportedly expected to do so in the summer of 2018.

Lemar appeared to be on the verge of a move to Arsenal last summer until it collapsed on transfer deadline day.

If successful, Chelsea would smash the club transfer record it set last summer when Real Madrid accepted its £57-million bid for Alvaro Morata.