According to Football.London, Chelsea remain keen on AFC Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott ahead of the January transfer window, but the Blues are not the only club interested in signing him.

Rumors surrounding Alex Scott's future have not died down, with Chelsea consistently mentioned in discussions about his next move.

The Blues are firmly in the race for the 23-year-old. If a January move fails due to AFC Bournemouth's reluctance to sell mid-season, Chelsea plans to pursue Scott again next summer.

Chelsea explored the possibility of signing Scott during the summer transfer window. AFC Bournemouth immediately rejected the Blues' interest, refusing to consider any offers for their key midfielder. While many clubs say this but later change their minds, AFC Bournemouth has remained firm.

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AFC Bournemouth hopes Scott will extend his contract at the Vitality Stadium. The former Bristol City midfielder's contract runs until 2028, but he has already rejected multiple new contract offers from his current club.

Arsenal and Liverpool are also interested in Scott. AFC Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola, who previously worked with Scott, is reportedly keen on a reunion with the England international.

After failing to sign Scott and AS Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana this summer, Chelsea are looking to strengthen their midfield when the January transfer window opens. Scott's performances for AFC Bournemouth this season will only further intensify Chelsea's interest.

Significantly, manager Enzo Maresca has instilled greater intensity in Chelsea's play since his arrival. The Blues were heavily criticized last season for playing too passively, and Maresca has been working to correct this approach.

Scott is precisely the kind of hardworking, tough midfielder who fits this style of play perfectly. The statistics back this up. According to FotMob data, Scott ranks 5th among Premier League players for distance covered this season, having run 57.7 kilometers.

In the first five rounds, only Harrison Armstrong of Everton (60.4 km), Pascal Groß of Brighton (59.7 km), Mathias Jensen of Brentford (58.8 km), and Florian Wirtz of Leeds United (58.3 km) covered more ground.

Among Chelsea's midfielders, Scott clearly leads this metric so far this season. It should be noted that Jordan Henderson and Moisés Caicedo have only made one Premier League appearance each.

Reece James ranks 156th with 36.2 km, Malo Gusto 160th with 35.2 km, Romeo Lavia 195th with 29.8 km, and Lesley Ugochukwu 270th with 16.1 km. However, when adjusted for playing time per 90 minutes, Scott is not the highest-ranking Chelsea midfielder.

Ugochukwu, who joined from Strasbourg this summer, has only played two Premier League matches for a total distance of 16.1 km, but averages 12.5 km per 90 minutes. In contrast, Scott averages 11.7 km per game, making him one of the most energetic players in the Premier League.

Early in the season, Scott mostly partnered with Tyler Adams as a double pivot, with another player positioned in the number 10 role. However, Scott can also play as a number 8 or behind the central striker, and he has previously stated that he prefers the deeper number 8 position.

In an interview with Sky Sports, Scott was asked about his preferred midfield position. He said: "I feel like I can play in any midfield position – number 10, number 8, and number 6 – but I think the number 8 suits me best.

"I can be involved in both defense and attack. When playing as a number 10, you need that killer instinct in front of goal, and I've been working on improving that. But when playing as a number 8, you can do more and be more involved in the game.

"I've certainly improved a lot in that aspect, and I want to continue to improve my defensive abilities. I think if a player can defend and attack, they can go from being a good player to a top player.

"Of course, scoring goals is very important. If you can be a goal-scoring midfielder, that contributes more to the team.

"But I still have a lot to improve on. I'm only 23 years old, and I have many years left in my career, so I will continue to work hard every day in training and learn as much as possible."

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