Chelsea Transfer News: Serge Aurier Talks Rumoured, Danny Drinkwater Latest

Chelsea have reportedly entered negotiations with Paris Saint-Germain right-back Serge Aurier, but Manchester United are ready to rival for his signature. Elsewhere, Leicester City's Danny Drinkwater has been tipped for success if he were to join the Blues.

MailOnline's Matt Barlow reported Chelsea are poised to go up against the Red Devils in the fight to land Aurier, and Tony Banks of the Daily Express noted the two parties are already in talks over a move.

Per Banks' report, the Ivory Coast international is banned from entering the United Kingdom as a result of the charges brought against him for assaulting a police officer outside a Paris nightclub in 2016.

It was previously reported Aurier was due in court for an appeal against his ban on Monday, per Paris United (h/t The Sun's Toby Gannon), but Tom Coast of Sport Witness wrote that wasn't the case:

The former Toulouse defender has developed a reputation as a controversial character during his two-year tenure at the Parc des Princes, but Chelsea manager Antonio Conte may feel he's tamed larger personas in the past.

One side of Aurier's character the Chelsea boss won't be looking to quieten is his on-pitch tenacity, which may have aided the 24-year-old in outlining himself as one of PSG's most prolific tacklers of the ball, per Squawka:

Meanwhile, Drinkwater's former Leicester team-mate and ex-Chelsea goalkeeper, Mark Schwarzer, has heaped praise on the England midfielder and told TalkSport (h/t David Wright of the Daily Express) he can cut it at Chelsea:

“He's not a Matic, he's more of a creative player. At Leicester last season we saw that he struggled without having N'Golo Kante next to him, but Danny Drinkwater is a very talented young man and has done incredibly well at Leicester.

“I think he's capable of making that step up.

“Whether or not he's someone who will play week-in week-out, whether he's good enough to make that step up to be a mainstream player in Chelsea's first XI, we'll only know once he makes that step if it happens. But he's definitely got the ability."

As hinted by Schwarzer, the west Londoners are on the trail to replace former enforcer Nemanja Matic after he joined United in a £40 million deal, and Drinkwater has been identified as the man to fill the void.

However, voters in a recent poll cast by Sky Sports News presenter Jim White suggested the majority of fans don't believe the 27-year-old would be the right replacement for Matic:

The Foxes reportedly want "at least £30 million" if they're to cash in on their chief playmaker, who could be considered an additional purchase if summer signing Tiemoue Bakayoko is seen as Matic's natural successor.

Conte is a fan of the Englishman and could have a great influence in whether a deal goes through, with Chelsea hoping to reunite old Leicester team-mates Drinkwater and N'Golo Kante in the English capital.