Hutchinson signed a new deal at Chelsea in December, 16 months after announcing his retirement because of a persistent knee injury, and he featured twice in the first team towards the end of last season.

The 23-year-old is not expected to be a regular with the European champions this term and O'Driscoll is hoping to bring the full-back to the City Ground.

O'Driscoll took his tally of summer signings to seven by completing a move for Simon Cox on Tuesday and is now awaiting a response regarding his enquiry for Hutchinson.

"When you talk about good characters, he is certainly one of those. He is somebody who is on our radar," O'Driscoll told the Nottingham Evening Post.

"He is a Chelsea player and they have to decide what they want to do with him this season.

"He is very highly thought of at Chelsea. That bodes well, if you can get a player of that quality into the club. It would be a loan signing if we could do it.

"But, again, you talk to people, you talk to clubs to try to make something happen.

"We are trying to see where the land lies with him and to make something happen, if we can.

"He is certainly somebody we are interested in signing but we will have to see what happens."