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Marseille winger Florian Thauvin was recently named by the Guardian as one of the ten most promising young players in Europe (alongside the likes of Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku and Raphael Varane), so it's only natural that a team like Chelsea would be keeping tabs on him. And indeed, reports from France indicate that the Blues have been scouting the just-turned-21-year-old, sending Guy Hillion to watch as Thauvin and OM lost 2-0 at Monaco.
It's unclear how serious Chelsea's interest is at this point. I certainly wouldn't expect it to be too high, considering attacking midfield is still where the team is strongest despite the departures of Kevin de Bruyne and Juan Mata this January, and Thauvin doesn't seem like the sort of player who'll fit into Jose Mourinho's team-focused, high pressure system.
He's also known for being a little problematic off the pitch, having become embroiled in a strange transfer saga between Lille and Marseille over the summer and essentially forcing a move to the Stade Velodrome after playing a grand total of zero games with Eden Hazard's former club. The asking price will also be a deterrent; Thauvin cost OM €15 million just six months ago.
He's definitely a good player, don't get me wrong -- the Guardian quote Toulouse manager Alain Casanova in describing Thauvin as "a player in the image of Franck Ribéry … someone who is able to disrupt any opponent, someone very dangerous when he picks up speed. Very dangerous indeed" -- but at the end of the day I'm simply not sure he's someone we need to be tracking too carefully.
