Chelsea are rivalling Tottenham to try and sign ‘powerful’ defender

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Chelsea could be about to get their hands on a very promising central defender.

Chelsea are not exactly light in the centre-back positions, signing Tosin Adarabioyo from Fulham in the summer.

However, Wesley Fofana has struggled to stay fit during his time at Stamford Bridge and is injured once again.

Fofana will now miss Wednesday’s game against Southampton, Enzo Maresca has confirmed.

• READ MORE: Chelsea are interested in signing £37m Tottenham target who wants Premier League move

Chelsea interested in Abdukodir Khusanov

As they have often done since being taken over by Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, Chelsea could once again turn to a young player to try and improve their squad.

According to Le10 Sport, Chelsea and their London rivals Tottenham Hotspur are both in the running to sign Lens’ Abdukodir Khusanov.

Khusanov is only 20 years old but has been an important player for Lens this season, making 11 appearances in Ligue 1.

Already having a bit of experience in a top European league, then, he could be one for now or the future for Chelsea.

What kind of defender is Abdukodir Khusanov?

Standing at 6’1″, Khusanov is not the tallest centre-half. Even so, the Uzbekistan international has been described as “powerful”, and at that size he is also quite mobile.

“He’s calm, powerful, he’s fast,” Lens manager Will Still was quoted as saying by Ligue 1’s official website. “He doesn’t talk but he’s good.”

Currently sitting third in the Premier League table, Chelsea’s decision to sign young players with potential is starting to pay off.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	13	11	1	1	26	8	18	34
2	ArsenalArsenal	13	7	4	2	26	14	12	25
3	ChelseaChelsea	13	7	4	2	26	14	12	25
4	BrightonBrighton	13	6	5	2	22	17	5	23

However, in central defence, you cannot help but feel that you need someone very experienced in there to compete for the big trophies, and Chelsea do not have that.

Adding Khusanov to the ranks will not change the above. If Chelsea really want to sign a new central defender, then they should go for someone who is a bit more seasoned.

On the subject of centre-halves, Levi Colwill seems to be attracting interest from other clubs. But it would be very surprising if Chelsea entertained any offers for him, given how important he has been for Maresca.