CHELSEA have become the latest club to join the race for Newcastle United target Mathieu Debuchy, but the European champions are not expected to pursue their interest in Magpies winger Hatem Ben Arfa.

Blues boss Roberto Di Matteo submitted his list of preferred transfer targets to the Stamford Bridge hierarchy earlier this week, and a new right-back is high on his list of priorities.

Jose Bosingwa has left, leaving just veteran Paulo Ferreira and Branislav Ivanovic, who is regarded as more of a centre-half.

Debuchy is one of Di Matteo's preferred options, and Chelsea's interest could seriously hamper Newcastle's chances of landing the in-demand Lille defender.

Alan Pardew had hoped to tie up a deal for Debuchy prior to the start of the European Championships, but the Magpies were unable to strike an agreement with Lille officials.

The French club rejected Newcastle's £4m offer amid growing interest in the 25-year-old, who has enjoyed an impressive start to France's Euro 2012 campaign.

Inter Milan and Paris St Germain have also been credited with an interest in Debuchy, and with Chelsea also now entering the fray, Newcastle's prospects of securing a bargain have all but disappeared.

They continue to be interested in Luuk de Jong, and the striker's agent, Louis Laros, has confirmed an approach for his client that was rebuffed by FC Twente.

Newcastle are understood to have bid around £8m for de Jong, who is also interesting a number of clubs in Germany's Bundesliga.

The Magpies could yet face a battle to hold on to some of their own leading lights this summer, but speculation linking Chelsea with an approach for Ben Arfa is premature.

The Champions League winners are interested in the Frenchman, but only as a back-up to their preferred attacking acquisition, Hulk.

Chelsea have tabled an offer of around £30m for the Porto striker, but his Portuguese employers are currently holding out for at least £40m.

The London club would only turn their attention to Ben Arfa if talks over Hulk collapsed entirely, something that is not regarded as especially likely despite the current impasse.

Ben Arfa's Euro 2012 campaign is hanging in the balance ahead of France's quarter-final with Spain, as the volatile forward clashed with his boss, Laurent Blanc, in the wake of this week's 2-0 defeat to Sweden.

Reports in France claim Ben Arfa, who had a chequered disciplinary record during his early days in Ligue One, was angry at being substituted in Tuesday's final group game.

He is then alleged to have angered Blanc by talking on his telephone during a pre-match debrief, resulting in a heated argument that ended with Ben Arfa challenging his manager to send him home.

Few French commentators have been surprised by his outburst, a reaction that underlines just how successfully Pardew handled the temperamental forward last season.

Despite being left out of the Newcastle side for a large chunk of the campaign, Ben Arfa developed into one of the club's most influential players in the final two months of the season.

Meanwhile, out-of-favour United striker Leon Best is close to completing a £2m move to Championship side Blackburn Rovers.