According to The Daily Mail, Chelsea have joined the race to sign Lyon defender Mouctar Diakhaby, who is impressing many scouts around Europe.

What's the Story?

Chelsea have joined Manchester City and Juventus in the race to sign hotly rated Ligue 1 star Mouctar Diakhaby. The 20-year-old has broken into the first team at Lyon this season and has thoroughly impressed with his maturity, composure and threat at set pieces.

At 6ft4', Diakhaby is a truly dominating presence, especially considering his young age. He featured during both of Lyon's games against Everton and looked totally comfortable playing on the European stage.

Now, it seems that Chelsea are looking to land the Frenchman, who is valued at £5.4million by Transfermarkt, in order to boost their defensive options.

A Replacement for Luiz?

Over the last week, reports in the press confirmed that Antonio Conte and David Luiz had fallen out. While the details of the rift are not entirely clear, speculation has been gathering regarding the future of the Brazilian defender, especially after he was left out of Chelsea's victory over Manchester United at the weekend.

While Luiz is now reportedly back in the fold, one must consider whether bridges have been broken between the Italian boss and his exuberant centre-back. Perhaps Chelsea's interest in Mouctar Diakhaby is down to David Luiz and his uncertain future at the club.

While we may have to wait until January to find out how the Luiz saga resolves itself, Mouctar would be a great asset to the Chelsea team, whether as a replacement for an outgoing star or otherwise.

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