Chelsea are eyeing a double swoop for Sunderland centre-back Lamine Kone and Santos defensive midfielder Thiago Maia that could set them back £32m, according to the Daily Mail.
Antonio Conte is desperately trying to bring in another central defender before the end of the summer but has so far been frustrated in his attempts to sign top target Kalidou Koulibaly.
The Senegal international has been strongly linked with a move to Stamford Bridge this summer after putting in some excellent displays for Napoli in Serie A over the past couple of seasons.
The Daily Mail claim that Chelsea have seen their latest £38m offer rejected by the Italians, who are unwilling to sell until they secure a replacement, so Conte is being forced to look at alternative targets with Sunderland’s Lamine Kone now on his radar.
Kone only moved to the Stadium of Light from Lorient in January but was hugely impressive during the second half of last season as the Black Cats escaped relegation form the Premier League.
However, the Blues will face stiff competition for Kone’s signature as the newspaper says that Everton have already submitted an £18m offer so Chelsea are going to have to match that bid if they want to stand a chance of signing the Ivory Coast international.
I’m sure Conte would feel confident of persuading the 27-year-old to opt for a move to West London over Merseyside if the club went up against Everton for Kone’s signature, but we’ll have to wait and see whether Chelsea decide to make a formal move.
And if they do then Kone could be part of a double swoop from Conte as the Daily Mail claim that the former Juventus coach is also eyeing a £15m move for Santos defensive midfielder Thiago Maia.
Chelsea Plotting a £33m Double Deal
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