Chelsea plot £40m hijack for deal that had medicals planned as Enzo Maresca eyes promotion favourite

New Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca knows Leicester City midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall well following their time together at the King Power Stadium last season. The Foxes won the Championship title at the first time of asking and are now back in the Premier League.

However, they lost their manager Maresca to Chelsea after he was chosen by the London outfit as their replacement for Mauricio Pochettino and could now see one of their key players make the switch to Stamford Bridge as well.

According to reporter Fabrizio Romano on X, the Blues have ‘inquired’ about the availability of Dewsbury-Hall and could hijack Brighton and Hove Albion’s swoop for him.

The Seagulls want to lure the Hinckley-born man to the AMEX Stadium as they prepare for life under new head coach Fabian Hürzeler. The Seagulls are prepared to use Jakub Moder as part of the deal and medicals for both players had even been planned. However, they now face competition from Chelsea as Maresca eyes up a potential reunion.

Dewsbury-Hall, who is rated at around the £40million mark according to the Daily Mail, is tight-lipped over his future and has recently said: "I have been here since I was a kid. I love everything about the club. I grew up and managed to play in the first team. I am happy. I have never said I am actively wanting to leave. That sort of stuff is not up to me. You never know with football - the season is about to start, so we will see.

"Enzo was an unbelievable manager. I genuinely see him becoming a top manager, so it wasn’t a surprise to see he was in demand. It is weird having to change a manager after being so successful, but that’s football.

"It is never too bad to get new ideas. I met Steve (Cooper) in the corridor at the training ground. He is a really nice man. Very well spoken and I just felt he was well motivated for the job. So I am positive about the appointment.

"We understand that [the points deduction] may happen. We are humans [and] we see it on social media. But it's out of our hands. We’ve got a duty now to make sure we are in the best possible shape going onto the pitch - whatever happens."

He is also looking to get on Gareth Southgate’s England radar: "That’s the aim. I feel like I have got the ability to at least be in contention. I don't see why when playing well in that Premier League that I couldn’t be pushing for a spot. I respect all the players - but I feel I could bring something to the team. By doing well for my club, maybe I get into the England international setup."

Chelsea target Dewsbury-Hall has been on the books at Leicester for his whole career to date and rose up through their academy.

He has made 129 appearances for the Foxes in all competitions to date and has scored 17 goals, as well as having loan spells away at Blackpool and Luton Town in the past to get some experience under his belt.