Real Madrid eye PSG defender Thomas Meunier as Chelsea look to close Danilo deal

Real Madrid may be beginning to plan for life without Danilo, with reports from Spain suggesting that they could turn to Paris Saint-Germain right-back Thomas Meunier as a potential alternative to a player who is currently being pursued by Chelsea.

Marca report that Zinedine Zidane will begin searching for a replacement for Danilo, who has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge over recent days as Antonio Conte seeks to further strengthen his title-winning squad following the additions of Willy Caballero and Antonio Rudiger and the imminent signing of AS Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko.

It is thought that former winger Meunier, who made 36 appearances for PSG last term after joining from Club Brugge in July 2016, could now be attainable following the wealthy French giants' success in swiping Dani Alves out of the clutches of Manchester City.

Serge Aurier also remains at the Parc des Princes, although it remains to be seen for how much longer amid apparent interest from both Manchester rivals.

Meunier, a former target of Tottenham Hotspur's who has previously confessed a desire to play in the Premier League, is currently recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle undergone in Qatar in May. That injury ruled him out of the final two matches of the season and was expected to keep him sidelined for between six to eight weeks.

The Belgium international would compete with Dani Carvajal for a starting berth under Zidane as Real seek to defend their La Liga crown and also win the Champions League for a third successive season.

Such a deal would obviously hinge on the future of Danilo. Speculation from the player's native Brazil earlier this week suggested that Chelsea were closing in on a deal and that the two clubs were expected to settle on a €31m (£27.3m, $35.5m) fee soon. His representatives were said to be in Europe to conduct discussions as their client accompanied Real to Los Angeles for their pre-season tour of the United States.

However, it appears that negotiations have hit a snag with the Evening Standard suggesting that Chelsea are not willing to meet the £30.8m asking price. They are apparently only willing to stump up £28m for a player that would challenge Victor Moses for a place in Conte's successful 3-4-3 system and is believed to be a close friend of another prominent Blues target, Juventus left-back Alex Sandro.