Chelsea are preparing a £5 million move for Juventus defender Stephan Lichtsteiner, according to reports in The Daily Mirror.

The Blues have reportedly turned their attention to the Swiss defender after their move for right-back Cesar Azpilicueta has apparently stalled over Marseille’s unwillingness to accept the West London club’s £5 million offer for the Spanish U21 international. With Jose Bosingwa having been released this summer and Branislav Ivanovic preferring to be thought of as a central defender, that has forced manager Roberto Di Matteo to venture into the market for a new right-back option and the experienced Lichtsteiner has been watched and comes recommended.

The Daily Mirror reports that he could be available for a fee of around £5 million, despite the full-back having played such a large part in Juventus’ Serie A title triumph last season, his first campaign with the Turin side having joined after three successful seasons at rivals Lazio for a fee of around £7 million. Before his move to Lazio, the 28-year-old spent three years with French Ligue 1 side Lille before the emergence of Mathieu Debuchy, ironically a previous target of the Blues to fill in the right-back slot.

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