Chelsea 'join Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain in race to sign £35m midfielder Jean-Michael Seri'

• e-mail

Chelsea are poised to go toe-to-toe with Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain for the signature of Jean-Michael Seri from Nice.

Boss Antonio Conte is keen on adding another midfielder to the ranks at Stamford Bridge and, according to The Sun, have earmarked the Ivory Coast international.

After joining the race to sign Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal this month, it appears Chelsea have lost out to Manchester United – who swooped to prise him away from Manchester City's grasp.

Chelsea are poised to go toe-to-toe with Man City and PSG for Jean-Michael Seri's signature

Blues boss Antonio Conte is hoping to bolster his central midfield over the coming months

Conte brought in Tiemoue Bakayoko from Monaco and Danny Drinkwater from Leicester last summer but neither have taken the Bridge by storm.

Ross Barkley has joined from Everton but Conte is keen to shore up the midfield by recruiting a player who operates in a deeper-lying position.

Seri — who has been a mainstay in the Nice midfield since his £750,000 move from Portuguese side Pacos de Ferreira in the summer of 2015 — has three years left to run on his current deal with a £35million buy-out clause.

Nice's top brass are desperate to cling on to the 26-year-old, who has been a shining light in an otherwise relatively disappointing season on the field – lying sixth in Ligue 1 after qualifying for Champions League last term.

Seri has been a mainstay in the Nice midfield since 2015 and has a £35m buy-out clause