Dmitri Lovetsky/Associated Press

Chelsea have reportedly informed Benfica they're willing to meet Victor Lindelof's €30 million (£25 million) release clause, but the Blues are only willing to finance the fee in instalments. Plus, the Blues will allegedly turn to Edinson Cavani after being priced out of a move for Alvaro Morata.

Metro's Primeira Liga expert, Jan Hagen, sourced Portuguese newspaper A Bola on Friday, which reported Chelsea would pay Lindelof's release clause after the Sun's Geoff Sweet cited Portuguese daily Record earlier this week:

As a result, the Eagles are allowed to reject the deal, according to Hagen, meaning the Primeira Liga champions may yet have a hope of hanging on to the Sweden international.

Meanwhile, French outlet Le 10 Sport has reported Chelsea have already submitted a €50m (£42m) bid to recruit Paris Saint-Germain striker Cavani as an alternative to Morata (h/t The Independent's Samuel Lovett).

Chelsea have held an active relationship with Benfica in recent years, having brought David Luiz to west London from Lisbon in 2011 before re-signing Nemanja Matic from the Eagles in 2014.

Lindelof burst on to the scene with Benfica during the 2015-16 season, although Hagen highlighted last year just how capable the Sweden international was going forward with the ball:

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The 22-year-old demonstrates surprising skill for a player who featured largely at centre-back and in defensive midfield last season, a versatility that Blues boss Antonio Conte will undoubtedly find attractive.

Conte has already strengthened his engine room with the capture of Leicester City's N'Golo Kante, but Nigerian broadcaster Deji Kofi Faremi has noted the Chelsea defence is in need of help:

The attack could soon be renovated, too, after Lovett reported on the big-money offer that's supposedly been submitted for PSG star Cavani after Real Madrid's Morata proved too pricey.

The Ligue 1 champions could be difficult negotiators, though, after Matt Spiro, presenter of the Ligue 1 Show, reported PSG have full intentions to utilise Cavani as their new centre-forward:

The French giants are presumably hoping the Uruguayan can come to thrive in a central role, the position he's been longing for and can finally take up following Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Parc des Princes departure.

Lovett cited the Mirror and reported Chelsea's last failed bid for Morata was worth £62 million, but they're hoping Cavani, 29, will prove a far more cost-effective option.