Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is a "huge admirer" of Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele and is watching his situation closely, claims transfer insider Dean Jones.

The 25-year-old Frenchman is out of contract at the end of June, and Jones believes he could be an option for the Blues.

What is the latest news involving Dembele?

Recent reports from Spain have suggested that Liverpool have made a move for Dembele due to the uncertainty surrounding Sadio Mane's future at Anfield.

According to SPORT, Jurgen Klopp has asked for two or three attacking reinforcements this summer, resulting in the Reds approaching the Barcelona star.

They state, however, that Chelsea are also interested, meaning Klopp and Tuchel could be in for yet another battle after a season where their two sides faced off in both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup finals.

Losing Dembele on a free transfer will come as a massive blow to Barcelona, with the Spanish side spending £135.5m on the ace with 115 goal contributions.

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What has Jones said about Dembele and Chelsea?

Jones has told GIVEMESPORT that Tuchel is a big fan of Dembele, who he managed during his time as Borussia Dortmund boss, and is currently monitoring his former player.

Speaking to GMS, the transfer insider said: "I've heard Tuchel is a huge admirer of Ousmane Dembele and is definitely watching his situation closely. Chelsea started work on recruitment today and there is a lot to get sorted - quickly."

Who could Dembele replace at Chelsea?

It would not be a shock to see Dembele arrive and replace Christian Pulisic if Chelsea work on a one in, one out policy when it comes to their attack this summer.

Tuchel has been quite critical of the American, while there has also been a lot of talk about him considering his future at Stamford Bridge.

"Yeah, it is,” Tuchel said earlier this month (via The Guardian) when asked if Pulisic's finishing was a concern. "He is not the player who produced in the last three seasons 30 goals. We will push him to the limit."

Dembele is probably not someone who is going to score a shed load of goals for Chelsea either, but he certainly looks capable of providing plenty of assists at Stamford Bridge.

In the 2021/22 La Liga season, the France international recorded 13 assists, while in his final campaign at Dortmund, he registered more than 10 in the Bundesliga.

His stats in between are nowhere near as good, which is largely down to the amount of games he has missed at Barcelona because of injury. That is one thing that will surely be of concern to Tuchel, though it does not seem to have put him off.