Chelsea have “made an offer” worth €140m (£120m) for Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde, according to Defensa Central.

The Spanish website claims the Blues are prepared to pay €120m (£103m) upfront and €20m (£17.2m) in bonuses, which is tempting Real into selling the Uruguayan international.

It is said that manager Mauricio Pochettino is “obsessed” with Valverde, who he believes would fit “perfectly” into his tactical system.

The Blues’ proposal is expected to be left on the table until the end of June, giving Real some time to make up their minds about whether to offload the player.

Valverde is a top drawer talent

It is not a surprise that Pochettino is a big fan of the playmaker. He has been in good form this season, having scored 12 goals and provided seven assists in 56 appearances.

At 24, he is also the right age, having enough experience to make an impact straight away, whilst being poised to hit his prime years as a footballer.

There are doubts over whether Valverde would be interested in joining Chelsea

Defensa Central claim that the midfielder has “no intention” of leaving Real Madrid, and he would like to spend the rest of his career at the La Liga club.

However, the imminent arrival of Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham does raise questions about Valverde’s future. He is expected to have a reduced role, so a lot will depend on whether he is happy being a bit-part player.

Chelsea can’t offer him European football either, so a lot of the heavy lifting would have to be done by Pochettino himself. If he can persuade the Uruguayan that he sees him as an integral player, and that he would be the first name on the team sheet, there is still a chance he would come.

For the time being, though, fans should keep their expectations in check about Valverde moving to Stamford Bridge.