Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti WANTS to join Chelsea this summer.

Umtiti would rather join Chelsea than Manchester United... but the Blues prefer Lille centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes.

Prior to the suspension of the Premier League, the Blues sat in a Champions League qualification position - despite having the leakiest defence of any team in the top seven.

And boss Frank Lampard is keen to recruit a new defender to help shore things up.

The Daily Star says the club have made initial contact with Barcelona regarding Samuel Umtiti.

But the Frenchman is currently a back-up plan for if they fail to land Gabriel from Lille.