Chelsea have now identified AS Monaco's Benoit Badiashile as their priority signing as a left-sided centre-back, according to a report from The Athletic.

The Lowdown: Chelsea targeting defender

The Blues signed Kalidou Koulibaly for £33m in the summer, but it appears as though the Premier League club are already planning to cut their losses on the defender after he has failed to hit the ground running, albeit from a relatively brief timeframe.

Calciomercato reported on Friday that the Senegal international could be on his way back to Italy, duly paving the way for Chelsea to bring in a new signing in his position, with Badiashile now deemed to fit the bill.

The Latest: Badiashile in Potter's sights

Given that Josko Gvardiol's price has risen considerably since the World Cup - he is now expected to cost more than £79m - Graham Potter has started to turn his attention elsewhere in terms of signings for January and next summer, as per a report from The Athletic's David Ornstein on Saturday afternoon which was shared on Twitter.

The report details that Badiashile is now the manager's priority target, and there is a belief that the Frenchman will sign for the Blues in the coming weeks for a fee of around £30m.

The Verdict: Better than Koulibaly?

Journalist Amr Shaheen has previously lauded the 6 foot 4 defender as a 'monster', and this is evidenced by his fantastic performances for Monaco over the past year, averaging 2.63 aerial duels won per 90 minutes, an increase on the 2.08 per game averaged by Koulibaly in the same timeframe.

At just 21, the Frenchman still has plenty of scope to develop and he could be a mainstay in the Chelsea defence for years to come, whereas Koulibaly is 31 and likely approaching the end of his peak years.

For a relatively low price of £30m, signing Badiashile would be a really good piece of business from Potter if he goes through with it, leaving him with further funds to strengthen elsewhere in January.