Chelsea Reportedly Target Florian Thauvin Amid Marseille Exit Rumours

Chelsea are reportedly tracking the situation of Marseille winger Florian Thauvin, who has expressed willingness to leave the club as he goes in search of UEFA Champions League football.

France Football (h/t Metro) reported Chelsea are one of the major clubs that are monitoring Thauvin and could launch a bid for the player if his urge to compete for titles leads him to leave Marseille.

But competition for the attacker could be fierce as Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan are also said to be interested.

It shouldn't be a surprise that the top teams in Europe have paid more attention to Thauvin following the prolific year he's had, which included being a part of the France squad that won the 2018 FIFA World Cup:

A return of 29 goals in 44 appearances is terrific for any winger, and it perhaps makes sense that Chelsea target more goalscoring wide men after strikers Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud have struggled to produce.

Bayern and Atletico in particular could be considered transfer threats for Chelsea, too, after Thauvin specified to L'Equipe (h/t Metro) in May that Germany and Spain are two countries in which he'd like to play:

"I’m hungry for titles, that’s what remains at the end of your career. There is a big game to play on Wednesday.

"As for other championships, Spain makes me dream and I like Germany a lot because it could be good for my game, but I’m not thinking about my future.

"I had a choice to make in the past [going to Newcastle] and I ended up being unhappy. In the future I will take the time to think about it, but I’m good here. I am in no hurry to leave."

Get French Football News noted Thauvin has indeed been in rare form for a winger of late, leading the likes of Chelsea, Atleti and Bayern to take note:

However, the 25-year-old may not be champing at the bit to return to England after enduring such a disappointing two years at Newcastle United. The Magpies signed Thauvin from Marseille in 2015 for £15 million, only for him to return on loan six months later and eventually return for only £10 million in 2017.

He's been a bargain for that price and won Ligue 1 Player of the Month three times since his return, not to mention almost doubling his career-best tally for goals in a single season last term (26).

Chelsea's interest in Thauvin—who is said to be valued at €45 million (£40.7 million)—will lead to questions over whom in their lineup he could replace. Pedro, 31, and Willian, 30, are both edging toward the latter end of their careers and may lose some of their pace, while Thauvin is still yet to reach his prime.

There's also the inevitable question of how their interest in wide star Thauvin relates to Eden Hazard, who recently reiterated his interest in one day playing for Real Madrid, per Goal:

Hazard's contract will expire in the summer of 2020, and Chelsea may again look to Ligue 1 for reinforcements if the former Lille star leaves their squad.