Chelsea have been offered the chance to sign Thiago Silva once his Paris Saint-Germain contract expires, sources have told ESPN.
The 35-year-old is set to play his final match for PSG in Sunday's Champions League Final against Bayern Munich before deciding his next move.
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Silva has been offered a two-year deal by Fiorentina and would likely expect the same at Stamford Bridge even though he turns 36 in September.
Chelsea are in the market for defensive reinforcements as they continue to pursue a deal for Leicester City left-back Ben Chilwell but they are less advanced in their search for a centre-back.
West Ham's Declan Rice, Atletico Madrid's Jose Gimenez and Brighton's Lewis Dunk are possible candidates but any transfer involving those three players would be complicated and expensive.
Silva is available on a free transfer and is thought to be interested in a move to the Premier League.
Head coach Frank Lampard has to weigh up the undoubted experience Silva would bring, having earned 89 caps for Brazil and won eight league titles with PSG and AC Milan, with concerns he would not be able to cope with the pace and physicality of English football at his age.
Meanwhile, Chelsea remain confident of reaching an agreement to sign Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal which is expected to cost more than £75 million with talks ongoing.