Chelsea were interested in signing midfielder Sander Berge from local rivals Fulham late on in the summer, reports BBC Sport.
The Blues sold Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City in a £125million deal on deadline day. They had Lamine Camara lined up to join from Monaco, before the Ligue 1 giants reneged on the agreement at the eleventh hour.
He was not the only midfielder who Chelsea courted at the back end of the summer.
BBC Sport insider Sami Mokbel reveals the London club showed late interest in Berge, from rivals Fulham, before Fernandez departed for City.
It's believed, though, that the Cottagers did not consider the Norwegian midfielder for sale, and Chelsea therefore did not make a formal bid.
They instead focussed their attention late in the summer on the aforementioned Camara and Manu Kone, though neither joined.
Mokbel reveals it's likely that Chelsea are going to focus their efforts on signing a new midfielder in the January transfer window.
Bournemouth's Alex Scott is believed to be among the club's priority targets when the transfer window reopens, though the Cherries' stance in the summer was that the Englishman was not for sale.
Chelsea continue interest in Lamine Camara
After missing out on Monaco's Camara in the summer, it's believed Chelsea remain interested in the midfielder going forwards.
Per a report from TEAMtalk, scouts from the Blues and Liverpool were in attendance to watch Camara in his side's victor over Paris Saint-Germain of late.
That he kept quiet a midfield including Joao Neves, Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz for the Champions League holders is a plus for the the Senegalese's future transfer prospects.
Camara's representatives expect him to leave in 2027, and Chelsea are positioning themselves towards the head of the chase after missing out on the transfer in the summer.
But alongside them and Liverpool, there were also scouts present from the Premier League's current top two, Arsenal and Manchester City, as Monaco faced PSG.
City feel less likely to land a new midfielder after spending huge sums on Fernandez, Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi in the summer, while Arsenal added Bruno Guimaraes to their squad.
It's Chelsea and Liverpool who look most desperate to add and they could therefore be the most likely sides to succeed in the chase for Camara.
