The Blues will have to compete with the Germans who are looking for a replacement for Goetze.
Chelsea have been keeping tabs on Brazilian starlet Bernard Anicio Caldeira Duarte, but now face missing out on the player with Borussia Dortmund looking to sneak in, reports German newspaper Bild.
Back in December 2012 the Atletico Mineiro attacking midfielder admitted that the Blues were a club that every player would like to play for and it seemed a deal would be made for the 20-year-old in the near future.
“Chelsea are a club with a lot of visibility, they are a club where every player would like to play,” Bernard was quoted on Sky Sports.
However, since then Dortmund have edged ahead of the Stamford Bridge outfit in an effort to sign the player valued at £17.1million by his club.
After agreeing to allow Mario Goetze to join Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich the Champions League finalists need a new playmaker to fill the German’s spot.
Bernard joined Mineiro in 2006 before making his way into the first team in 2011, making 27 appearances in his debut season in Brazil.
The young attacker has since played 56 more times for his club and earned his first international cap last November in a match against Argentina.
Chelsea will be hoping that their current host of Brazilians – made up of David Luiz, Oscar and Ramires – would be enough to tempt Bernard to the Premier League.
However, Dortmund’s ever-growing reputation as a top European side may be the deciding factor for the young talent and the club’s sports manager Michael Zorc has already been to watch Bernard in action.
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