Chelsea have made a check on Kostas Manolas as the Roma defender stalls on a move to Zenit St Petersburg.

Manolas had been due to join Zenit for £26million on Wednesday, but a dispute over his wages has alerted Chelsea, who are preparing to sell Nathan Ake to Bournemouth.

The Blues are yet to contact Roma directly, but could launch a bid to hijack the Zenit deal if Manolas turns his back on a move to Russia.

Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte has made Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk and Juventus star Leonardo Bonucci his top central defensive targets, but knows both men will be hard to land.

Ake, who is currently understudy to Gary Cahill for the left-sided spot, is due to join Bournemouth for £20million.

Nathan Ake could be on his way to Bournemouth for £20m credit: Reuters

Aged 26, Manolas has been at Roma since 2014 and has made over 100 appearances for the Italian club, having previously been tracked by Arsenal.

Chelsea have remained interested in Van Dijk, despite Southampton reporting Liverpool to the Premier League for allegedly speaking to the Dutchman.

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The Blues have been waiting to find out whether Van Dijk tells the Saints he wants to leave before potentially making a bid, but would not meet their £70m valuation.

Conte had received encouragement that Juventus may be prepared to sell Bonucci this summer, but the Champions League finalists would demand around £50m for the 30-year-old.

Chelsea are already in negotiations with Juve over left-back Alex Sandro, who they remain confident of signing despite interest from Paris Saint-Germain and his £60m valuation.

Fans of the Premier League champions are also awaiting confirmation of midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko’s £35m switch to Stamford Bridge from Monaco.