Chelsea Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Aymeric Laporte and Christian Benteke

Aymeric Laporte has spoken about interest from Chelsea last summer, while Antonio Conte is said to want to bring Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke to Stamford Bridge.

Athletic Bilbao defender Laporte was asked in an interview about interest from the Blues and said only: "I can't say, it's confidential," per L'Equipe (h/t Sport Witness).

The centre-back went on to discuss his international chances with France and also responded as to whether he "suffers through less visibility in Bilbao."

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He said: "Of course, it happens. If I had the same level at another club, I would more likely to be in France's squad."

Laporte has previously said he turned down a chance to move to Manchester City in 2016, per RTL (h/t FourFourTwo).

In the past, the defender has been open when discussing interest from other clubs, but he is clearly unwilling to talk about a possible move to Chelsea.

The champions strengthened their defence by bringing in Antonio Rudiger and Davide Zappacosta last summer.

However, Conte's side have been poor defensively in recent weeks, particularly due to the loss of N'Golo Kante to injury.

Opta note how Wednesday's UEFA Champions League draw with Roma was a first for Conte defensively:

Laporte is a tall, strong centre-back, who likes to play out from the back and has been an ever-present for Athletic this season, per WhoScored.com.

Still just 23, Laporte is already one of the most highly regarded defenders in Europe, and there is a sense that he will move on at some point, in search of trophies and to further his career.

Meanwhile, Conte is keen to strengthen his attack, in the wake of Alvaro Morata's recent short injury lay-off, and is considering a move for Benteke in January.

According to TransferMarketWeb's Claudio Colla, the Chelsea boss has been "disappointed" with Michy Batshuayi and wants another option.

As noted by Goal's Nizaar Kinsella, Batshuayi has really struggled for starts during his time at the club:

The Belgian is yet to open his Premier League account, but he has scored twice in the Champions League and three times in the League Cup this season, per WhoScored.com.

However, his lack of game time suggests he is yet to earn Conte's trust, and a back-up to Morata looks to be needed if the club are to successfully compete for honours domestically and in Europe.