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Chelsea: Cavani update; Barcelona monitor defender; Serie A star targeted
Antonio Conte is rumoured to have told Roman Abramovich that he needs at least five more players to compete for the title this season, according to . This comes after a quiet summer for the club, with N’Golo Kanté the only major signing to come into the club since Antonio Conte was appointed manager.
It’s more than likely that one of the top priorities for Conte will be a striker. Early discussions with PSG seem to suggest that Chelsea’s initial £42 million bid for Edison Cavani is not going to be enough to tempt the Parisian club into selling their Uruguayan striker. claim that they are seeking a deal closer to £67 million in order to allow the deadly striker to leave the club.
For Chelsea, whilst the price is a high one, they are more than able to spend it. With reports claiming a £62 million bid for Alvaro Morata has already been rejected by Real Madrid, the money is there, the debate will be whether Cavani is worth such a fee. With Everton said to be holding out for £75 million for Romelu Lukaku, it will be a matter for Antonio Conte to decide which fits his system better and is worth the major investment this summer.
Another key target is said to be Zenit St Petersburg midfielder Axel Witsel, who has confirmed that he has received offers from clubs in England and Italy, according to the . Earlier this month, some sources had claimed that a deal had been done to bring the Belgian to Stamford Bridge, but those reports now seem wide of the mark.
Everton and Liverpool are amongst the clubs who were said to be interested in the 27-year-old, who would be a good addition to the Chelsea ranks to slot into the Blues’ midfield alongside N’Golo Kanté, perhaps in place of Nemanja Matic. Witsel seems to suit the Conte style better, with more technical ability although maintaining the strength and determination necessary to play in a deeper midfield role.
The West London club also face competition in the chase for Kostas Manolas, according to . AS Roma were always said to be reluctant to sell, despite the player’s desire to move to England, but Chelsea now face competition from both Manchester clubs who are also seeking to add strength in depth to their defences.
Conte is said to be a long term admirer of the Greek defender, and is keen to add him to the heart of his new defence. At 24, Manolas still has the fitness and pace that the likes of John Terry lacks, but also has that touch of extra experience that Kurt Zouma is missing, and Conte feels that such a player would only improve by playing alongside the likes of Terry. They will face stiff competition though, and will have to match the financial offers of both Manchester clubs if they are going to bring the centre back to West London.
Better news comes in their chase of Benfica defender Victor Lindelof if reports are accurate. They claim that Chelsea are set to activate his £25 million release clause. At 22, he lacks experience compared to some other targets, but already has Champions League experience and bags of potential to bring to the Bridge in Conte’s bid to boost their defence.
Sticking with the theme of defensive improvements, the Blues are reluctant to allow defender Andreas Christensen to leave the club, despite currently being out on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach, claim the . His loan club have reportedly had a £14.5 million bid rejected already this week, but now the Standard claim that Barcelona are tracking the youngster’s situation.
Christensen insists that he is focused on developing his future at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea reportedly having him closely followed as they expect him to form part of their first team in the 2017/18 season, and will reject any bids that come in for him.
Another player on the move is said to be Juan Cuadrado, with AC Milan set to launch a bid for the player say reports in the . The Chelsea flop was on loan at Juventus last season, and rumours suggest that once Carlos Bacca has confirmed a move away, with West Ham a possible destination, the funds will be spent on Juan Cuadrado.
The San Siro club are reportedly hoping to make an offer of £20 million, but will be pushed to £25 million, which is likely to be necessary to convince Antonio Conte to allow the Colombian to leave. Whilst the winger did have hopes of renewing his Stamford Bridge career, it seems that the Blues will accept any reasonable bid which comes in for the winger.
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