According to journalist Graeme Bailey, Xabi Alonso's Chelsea are monitoring the 19-year-old centre-back closely after a series of impressive displays for Blackburn, joining Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, who have already been scouting the Northern Ireland international for some time.
Newcastle United, Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Manchester City and Liverpool have also made enquiries in recent months, underlining the scale of interest in a player who only made his first Championship start in December.
Blackburn, though, made clear before the summer deadline that Atcheson was not for sale, having already secured his long-term future with a new contract earlier in the year. The Lancashire club regard him as their most promising academy product since Adam Wharton, who progressed through the same system before earning a move to Crystal Palace and establishing himself in the England conversation. Standing at 6ft 3in, Atcheson has drawn comparisons to former Blackburn defender Phil Jones, another academy graduate who went on to join Manchester United.
Atcheson made his senior international debut for Northern Ireland as a substitute against Wales, handed his cap by Michael O'Neill, who manages both the national team and Blackburn simultaneously.
He has continued to establish himself in Rovers' first team this season under new head coach Toby Mowbray, starting the majority of Blackburn's matches across all competitions and helping the side to a string of clean sheets in recent weeks.
Chelsea's interest comes after the club missed out on Wharton before his move to Palace, and BlueCo are understood to be determined not to repeat that mistake, with the west London club reportedly eyeing a return for Atcheson as soon as a future window allows.
Blackburn's academy has developed a strong recent record of producing Premier League-ready talent beyond Wharton, with goalkeeper David Raya progressing through the same pathway before moves to Brentford and then Arsenal, while defender Ashley Phillips earned a switch to Tottenham after his own breakthrough at Ewood Park.
That track record has only heightened the scrutiny on Atcheson, whose combination of aerial dominance and physical presence has been repeatedly highlighted by scouts assessing his long-term potential at the highest level.