Chelsea prepared to pay £21m for Serie A centre-back

Chelsea are prepared to offer £21m to land the signature of Marash Kumbulla from Hellas Verona.

The 20-year-old has made 19 appearances for the Serie A outfit this season and his performances have attracted interest from the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United.

Verona are said to be eyeing a £23m fee for the central defender but L'Arena reports that the Blues are willing to pay as much as £21m to sign the Albania international.

The Blues currently have four senior centre-backs in Antonio Rudiger, Kurt Zouma, Fikayo Tomori and Andreas Christensen in their ranks but the latter has been linked with a summer exit.

Christensen has been a regular starter for the Blues during the backend of the campaign but the Dane is still said to be assessing his future with manager Frank Lampard planning to sign another young centre-back.

Chelsea are presently fourth in the league standings with 48 points. They are on course to qualify for next season's Champions League despite their inconsistent form over the past five months.