Chelsea looked into the signing of Manu Kone in the summer but decided not to land him, and Corriere dello Sport now reports he's worth €100million.
The Blues had an interesting summer in terms of midfielders. They knew for some time that Manchester City wanted to sign Enzo Fernandez and it appeared they were always going to return for him late.
They did so, and before that happened, Chelsea eyed a few different midfielders.
At the back end of the summer, Roma's Kone and Monaco's Lamine Camara were their favoured targets.
Chelsea did not actively pursue Kone, and they could regret not doing so, with reports in Italy suggesting the Frenchman's price is rising.
Indeed, it's said while the Blues considered a €60million (£51.5m) offer in the summer, Kone is now worth €100million (£86m) with the bar raised on midfield pricings by transfers for the likes of Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Elliot Anderson in the summer.
It's also suggested that with Kone performing admirably already this season, his status will continue to grow.
If Chelsea were looking to go back in for him in the winter or next summer, not only might they have to pay more, but they could have ample competition.
Lamine Camara could slip away from Chelsea
The Blues opted to focus their attention more on Monaco man Camara in the latter stages of the summer, and though they'd got him when the Ligue 1 side agreed to his transfer.
But they reneged on that agreement in the final hour of the window, partially influence by the situation of striker Folarin Balogun and his transfer to Everton which the player himself pulled out of.
Multiple outlets have suggested Chelsea retain an interest in Camara for the coming windows, but Liverpool are also keen on him and it's felt the Reds could be better placed to sign him.
Per Caught Offside, they're positioning themselves at the front of the queue for Camara, having already held talks with the Frenchman's representatives ahead of a transfer.
Elsewhere, it's said following those talks, a January move could be on the cards to the Anfield outfit. Whether Chelsea can hit back remains to be seen.
