Chelsea are reportedly keeping tabs on Lyon centre-back Mouctar Diakhaby as manager Antonio Conte contemplates reinforcing his squad's numbers in defence.The Blues aren't the only club showing interest in Diakhaby, with Chelsea's Premier League rivals Manchester City and Serie A giants Juventus having also scouted the 20-year-old, per Simon Jones of MailOnline.Jones also detailed why Chelsea are so keen: "Chelsea are considering a move for the young Frenchman as Antonio Conte looks to bolster his defensive options and he will be hoping to beat off stiff competition from Premier League leaders City."Conte's interest in Diakhaby is also said to be prompted by Antonio Rudiger's slow start to life with the Blues, per CalcioMercato (h/t Jake Lambourne of The Sun). Rudiger only joined last season's Premier League champions in the summer in a deal worth an initial 29 millionfrom AS Roma.Rudiger has only made eight starts in the Premier League and one in the UEFA Champions League, per WhoScored.com. He was only on the bench for Chelsea's 1-0 league win over Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.Yet the Blues still had quality resources in defence thanks to Andreas Christensen. The defender who has been loaned out by Chelsea several times caught the eye against United, with Goal's Nizaar Kinsella breaking down the Danish centre-back's contribution:Meanwhile, Simon Johnson of the London Evening Standard noted how Christensen's improvement this season is proof of how Chelsea's development plan, a strategy usually built on several loan spells for younger players, can be successful:Christensen's emergence has boosted the depth behind Chelsea's back three. He offers support in reserve of Gary Cahill, Cesar Azpilicueta and David Luiz.The latter's future is in doubt after a run-in with Conte. Luiz was dropped for the visit of United after reportedly questioning the manager's tactics, per The Times (h/t Rhys Turrell of the Daily Star).After beating United, Conte told Sky Sports (h/t ESPN FC's Liam Twomey) how Luiz is no longer guaranteed a place in the Blues' starting XI:The issues with Luiz and Rudiger meanConte would be smart to add another centre-back. Diakhaby is a towering presence who is commanding in the air and quick across the deck.The France U21 international is also accomplished in possession, a useful trait for a Chelsea side adept at playing out from the back.Lyon have a solid recent history of producing talented young defenders. Centre-back Samuel Umtiti joined Barcelona in 2016 and is showing star potential.Diakhaby is developing at a similar rate and justifying the interest he is garnering from some of Europe's top clubs. It makes sense for a Chelsea side playing three at the back to move quickly to try and beat the competition to a gifted young defender.
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