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Chelsea: Barcelona star targeted; Morata update; Costa’s future unsure
Chelsea are said to have been boosted by which suggest they are tracking Barcelona’s Turkish midfielder Arda Turan. The attacking midfielder completed 90 minutes just three times last season, and his club are believed to be ready to cut their losses and accept bids of £20 million should the player request a move, only one year after paying £29 million to sign him from Atlético Madrid.
With the likes of Eden Hazard, Willian and Oscar all already capable of performing such a role, it makes little sense for Chelsea to splash out on such an unnecessary signing. However, with doubts over the future of two of that duo; namely Oscar and Hazard, Turan would provide high quality cover at a non exorbitant price, though they may face competition from the likes of Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund.
In another move for a La Liga player, some sources are claiming that the Blues remain undeterred in their attempts to bring Alvaro Morata to Stamford Bridge. Real Madrid have now stated that he will remain at the Bernabeu and will form part of their squad, but claim that the player is unconvinced and Chelsea are ready to step in with another big money offer.
Antonio Conte is a known admirer of the striker who he previously brought to Juventus, but the deal could well hinge on the future of Diego Costa. The back pages in recent days have been full of conflicting headlines regarding whether or not the Spaniard wants to stay a Chelsea player, with rumours linking him to a move back to Atletico Madrid.
Spanish sources had even claimed that he had handed in a transfer request to force through a move, but the say that this is inaccurate and Costa is keen to remain and fight for his place. From a Blues viewpoint, Morata may well be the favourable option, but he is undoubtedly more expensive, and Costa has proven that he can score plenty of goals in the Premier League if he can regain his focus and fitness, both of which seemed to go awry last season.
Up front, the Blues were also said to be monitoring Lille’s Sofiane Boufal as a possible cheap back up option with potential, but the claim that they have been surprisingly outbid by Watford. Whilst the Hornets lack the prestige of Chelsea, the Blues can offer no European football this season either and are unlikely to offer first team football.
Antonio Conte is unlikely to be too downhearted by the move, with plenty of other preferred options on the market, but it is perhaps one of the earliest signs of how a lack of European football could harm Chelsea’s transfer ambitions this summer.
In defence, talks continue over the transfer of Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly, principally because Everton are driving up the price of a move for the Napoli star, say the . A move is still expected to be completed soon, but the actions of the Merseyside club are delaying and complicating his move to West London.
Conte and co. will be keen to get the move done soon though, with Roma reportedly rejecting their advances for Greek defender Kostas Manolas, say the . The move could eventually be forced through, with the player’s agent saying he won’t sign a new contract in Rome and the Italian club close to signing Nacho from Real Madrid, but they insist that he won’t be sold.
The moves show a clear insistence by Antonio Conte that defensive reinforcements are a top priority this summer, and will be boosted by the return to fitness of Kurt Zouma.
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