This article is part of Football FanCast's Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news...

According to new reports coming from Calciomercato, Roma might be planning to snatch away Elseid Hysaj from Napoli and beat Frank Lampard to the player Chelsea were linked with in November.

What's the word, then?

The 25-year-old full-back has seemingly become Roma's number one target in the upcoming transfer window, the same report from Calciomercato states.

This is derived from a simple reason: the Gladiators are currently lacking any reliable options at their right-back position and strengthening it with additional reinforcements is a crucial next step.

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Chelsea, however, were planning to do the very same thing upon the expiry of their transfer ban. The Sun even revealed that the Blues were even willing to offer £43m to land their target in the summer of 2018 and with Roma's interest, they might lose out on him once again.

Still, for the Italians, this deal would indeed potentially solve a key issue.

A no-brainer

Even though Hysaj is not really playing the best football of his life - seeing how he's only tallied 228 minutes across five games in 2019/20 - he could still serve as a reliable back-up option for Roma.

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After all, they only have two players currently occupying that spot in club captain, Alessandro Florenzi, and Davide Zappacosta.

But with the latter one suffering from a serious ligament rupture, that leaves the Italians with only Florenzi at the helm. As good and as reliable as the 28-year-old is, he will still need someone to give him some rest here and there.

Hysaj's contract is due to expire in the summer of 2021 and that, along with the fact he's not a regular in Napoli's squad, could potentially open the door for Roma to swoop in for their man.

Lampard won't really be able to do much about it with the transfer ban still going strong but with Cesar Azpilicueta and the young Reece James in their midsts, maybe this could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the Blues.

Only time will tell.

Elsewhere, Real Madrid might be banging their heads against the wall with the emergence of Chelsea's star who arrived from the Spanish capital not so long ago...