Chelsea are now frontrunners in the race for an “incredible” new defender, with a January move on the cards, should they be willing to shell out at least €30m (£26m).

Blues looking to strengthen defence amid Richards criticism

The Blues rose to fifth in the Premier League table courtesy of a 3-0 victory against Nottingham Forest at the weekend, but Micah Richards wasn’t overly impressed with the overall performance.

During the second half, the pundit told BBC Sport: “Chelsea have been terrible at the back, they haven’t had a clean sheet in the Premier League since August. You can tell something isn’t right there, they’ve been making too many mistakes.

“Forest look better than they have been and they’ve had the clearest chances. But I worry for them that missing those chances could come back to bite them as Chelsea take the lead.”

Ultimately, the three points are the most important thing, but Enzo Maresca may be slightly concerned about his side allowing Forest to create so many opportunities, with the hosts squandering four big chances and hitting the woodwork.

According to a report from Caught Offside, Chelsea have now joined the race for a new defender, with it being revealed they are frontrunners to sign Strasbourg’s Guela Doue, who could be in line to join as soon as the January transfer window.

The French side are planning to cash-in for a fee north of €30m (£26m), given his importance to the side, which would be affordable for the Blues, and the fact both clubs are under BlueCo ownership could feasibly make everything easier to orchestrate.

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Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford are also keen on Doue, who is currently contracted until 2029, but the west Londoners are now in the strongest position to get a deal done.

"Incredible" Doue would be versatile option for Maresca

The 23-year-old, who is the brother of Paris Saint-Germain star Desire Doue, is capable of playing at both right-back and centre-back, meaning he would be a versatile option for Maresca, and the defender has displayed his ability to contribute on the front foot this season.

Indeed, the Angers-born ace has one goal and two assists to his name in four Ligue 1 outings, while also showcasing his passing ability and defensive talent on a regular basis over the course of the past year, placing in a high percentile on several metrics, compared to other full-backs.

Statistic	Average per 90
Clearances	4.95 (99th percentile)
Aerials won	1.97 (97th percentile)
Passes attempted	66.67 (90th percentile)
Progressive passes	6.32 (93rd percentile)

Having been lauded for his “incredible character” by Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior, Doue could be a solid addition for Chelsea, who definitely need to improve their defensive depth, having been left light on options following injuries to Levi Colwill and Benoit Badiashile.