Chelsea are now involved in the battle to sign Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic, according to reports in the Italian media.

Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool have also been keeping tabs on the Serbian international, with the centre-back’s contract set to run down into its final twelve months.

With this summer’s transfer window the last opportunity for Fiorentina to get a decent fee for Milenkovic, the Serie A club are expected to let the 23-year-old leave for a relatively low price.

The Viola’s chief executive Rocco Commisso was holding out for around €40m (£35m) but he is likely to reduce that figure to €30m (£26m) in order to encourage bids for the player.

Chelsea are keen on securing a new centre-half this summer, with the likes of Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane, Paris Saint-Germain’s Marquinhos and Bayern Munich’s Niklas Sule all being linked in recent weeks, but Milenkovic seems to be another option they are considering.