Chelsea Transfer News: Amadou Diawara Agreement Reported, Latest Rumours

Chelsea are reportedly in pole position to sign Bologna central midfielder Amadou Diawara.

The 18-year-old has impressed in Serie A this season and is reportedly on the Blues' radar, though Juventus and AC Milan are also keeping an eye on the player.

According to GianlucaDiMarzio.com (h/t translator David Amoyal), Chelsea are first in line to snap up Diawara after Pini Zahavi, who has close links with Blues owner Roman Abramovich, came to an agreement with the youngster's agent, Robert Visan.

The report continues that Milan and Juve are prepared to offer "players and cash" to snap up Diawara, but Chelsea look to have got an early foot in the door.

The immense quality of the clubs pursuing Guinean Diawara is indicative of his incredible potential, and he has played a key role for Bologna in Serie A this season, appearing in all 12 of their matches, per WhoScored.com.

His early appearances from the bench—one of which can be seen below against Sampdoria—saw him earn a starting spot for the last nine matches in succession:

A midfield enforcer, Diawara is excellent at breaking up opposition attacks, and he is also an effective distributor and can cause havoc with occasional forays forward.

One of the remarkable aspects of Chelsea's miserable start to the 2015-16 campaign—they currently sit 16th in the Premier League after 12 matches—has been the poor form of midfield duo Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic. 

The pair were magnificent as the Blues won the league at a canter last season and their drop in quality has been alarming, per tactics expert Jonathan Wilson on WhoScored.

Diawara could act as necessary cover and competition for Fabregas and Matic, while he could also be a first-team stalwart of the future at Stamford Bridge given his obvious potential at such a young age.

Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images

Per Simon Johnson in the Evening Standard, Porto's Ruben Neves, another 18-year-old midfield star, is also on Chelsea's radar.

However, the Portuguese club's president, Pinto da Costa, has previously insisted Neves is not for sale, per MailOnline's Simon Jones.

Thus Chelsea may struggle to snap him up in January, and Diawara could prove a worthy alternative as Mourinho looks to strengthen his stuttering squad.