Chelsea manager Graham Potter has now picked out Celtic's Josip Juranovic as his 'main' target at Stamford Bridge, according to journalist Simon Phillips.

The Blues have identified the need for a new right-back to provide competition for Reece James, who is currently out for up to a month with a knee injury, and Juranovic is now emerging as a potential signing.

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Chelsea transfer news - Josip Juranovic

According to Sky Sports News, Chelsea have held internal talks about right-back options, in light of James' injury issues, and the Croatian is said to be someone that they have scouted for a while, although it is detailed that they could face competition from Barcelona for his signature.

The Blues were interested in the summer transfer window, as per the Daily Mail, and they are now said to be readying an approach for the 27-year-old, who the same report states could be available for as little as just £8m.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has recently played down the rumours, however, saying:

‘I can say I’ve heard nothing,’

‘Nothing’s happened. As I said a week or so ago, the speculation is what it is." (via the Daily Mail)

What has Simon Phillips said about Juranovic?

In an interview with GIVEMESPORT, Phillips claimed that Juranovic is someone who he can see Chelsea pushing for in the January transfer window:

"The main one is Juranovic from Celtic, which I believe is coming out all over the place now from various reports, so I can see Chelsea pushing for him because he's one of the cheaper options on there."

Would Juranovic be a good signing for Chelsea?

Former Chelsea man William Gallas lauded the defender as being 'unbelievable' at the World Cup with Croatia, via Football Scotland, a fitting description given just how crucial he was during his national team's unexpected run to the semi-finals.

The £16k-per-week earner, as per Salary Sport, featured in all six games prior to the third-place playoff against Morocco, particularly flourishing in the victory against Brazil on penalties, achieving a 7.6 SofaScore rating despite facing the difficult task of having to deal with Vinicius Junior.

Juranovic may not be at the level of James in a defensive sense, with FBref showing that he has averaged less tackles and interceptions than the Englishman per 90 over the past year, but he has proven himself to be a competent defender at a high level, and he would be a great back-up option for Potter.

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