Chelsea and Leeds United are both reportedly interested in signing Man City defender Nico O’Reilly. 

The Blues come off a disappointing weekend, where they not only dropped points in the Premier League, but lost to a Man United side who have really struggled so far this season. Enzo Maresca saw Robert Sanchez get sent off after just five minutes, which badly damaged their chance of winning.

It leaves Chelsea now sixth in the Premier League, and already off the pace with a seven-point gap to league leaders Liverpool. Maresca will get the chance to rotate his squad during the week as they face Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup, but he has a lack of depth at the back.

Levi Colwill remains out injured, and so Maresca is having to rotate the likes of Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Tosin Adarabioyo and Trevoh Chalobah. The solution would be to sign a defender in January, and it seems as though Chelsea have begun to express their want for a Man City player to help with the depth issue.

Chelsea in race for O’Reilly

Man City defender Nico O’Reilly has impressed when given the chance under Pep Guardiola. The 20-year-old can either play as a full back or a centre-back, making him an ideal solution to depth issues at Stamford Bridge.

According to Football Insider, Chelsea are among a group of clubs interested in the City star, with Leeds United also named as potential suitors. Both Bayer Leverkusen and Lyon are understood to be interested in O’Reilly too.

It seems Chelsea will have competition if they want to sign the 20-year-old, however, they are undoubtedly the biggest club on the list of interested teams.

Whether City would sell the defender remains to be seen, but manager Guardiola clearly doesn’t want him to go anywhere. He was quoted by Tribuna after City’s Champions League win against Napoli: “He’s a top, top player.

“He can play in three, four positions. His presence in set-pieces, one-v-one, with the ball he’s really good, arrives good in the final positions. He’s a player hopefully for many years!”

Click here to see Chelsea’s current first team squad including their depth at the back.