Chelsea are facing a tough battle to sign Leicester City left-back Ben Chilwell if their transfer ban is lifted in January, according to the Evening Standard.

The Foxes are said to be determined to keep the England international and are lining up a new contract for the 22-year-old and it might be worth a value bet with Ladbrokes on whether Leicester can pull off a top 4 finish while they still have the young England international. Even if Chelsea do convince the Foxes to sell up, the Blues are likely to face competition from the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City,

Both Manchester clubs are believed to be monitoring Chilwell as they look to strengthen their own options at left-back, and it could mean Frank Lampard has a lot of persuading to do in order to get his man to Stamford Bridge.

The asking price could also be a stumbling block. The Standard report that Leicester will only consider offers above £60m. Such a figure could be seen as excessive with other options on the transfer market.

However, Chilwell is a very promising player. He has already made 100 appearances for the Foxes despite his young age and he is now England’s first-choice left-back.