Chelsea Plotting a £33m Double Deal

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

Chelsea"s Playmaker Arrives After Loan Spell

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has confirmed Juan Cuadrado has linked up with the club for pre-season training in Austria.

The winger spent last season on loan at Juventus and there had been speculation that he could return to the Italian side on a permanent basis. However, Conte appears determined to keep Cuadrado at the club and is willing to give the Colombian a chance to impress this season.

Conte told the official Chelsea website: “I am very happy because I am finding the players with the right attitude and the right behaviour.

“They are great workers and this is very important because we need to have a bit of time to go into a new idea of football, and a new method of work with different tactical, physical and mental aspects.

“It’s also important to have a bit of time for me to know the players and for the players to know me. In the Euros I had a finished team. Now we are building. In this moment it’s normal I have a bit of difficulty with this change because with Chelsea we are beginning our season.

 

“I am getting to know a lot of new players and I’m bringing them a new idea of football. We need a bit of time but I saw a lot of positive things this week.

“And then today Fabregas, Pedro, Cuadrado, Cahill and Azpi arrived.

“This is important because I need to have the complete group to work, and to transfer my ideas to all the players.”

Cuadrado struggled to make much of an initial impact after joining Chelsea from Fiorentina in February 2015, but he impressed while on loan at Juventus last season as he created 44 chances and registered an average pass accuracy of 86% in Serie A.

Chelsea"s Playmaker Arrives After Loan Spell

Confirmed : Chelsea Struck Deal With AC Milan For Their 3rd Summer Signing

Chelsea have struck a deal to bring veteran goalkeeper Diego Lopez to Stamford Bridge.

That’s according to Gazetta Mercato, a spin-off site of Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport.

 

The deal was apparently completed last week at a meeting between club officials and the keeper’s agent.

 

Lopez, aged 34, is out of favour at the San Siro following the emergence of youngster Gianluigi Donnarumma, aged 17, who is now established as first-choice.

 

With Gabriel returning from a loan spell at Napoli, Milan are ready to entrust Alessandro Plizzari as their third-choice keeper and allow Lopez to leave.

 

Lopez joined from Real Madrid in 2014. The 6ft 5in keeper has previously played for Villarreal and Sevilla.

 

His arrival at Stamford Bridge is likely to signal the end of Asmir Begovic’s time at the club. The Bosnian joined the Blues from Stoke City last summer, but has not been able to dislodge Thibaut Courtois and is tipped to seek regular playing time elsewhere.

Confirmed : Chelsea Struck Deal With AC Milan For Their 3rd Summer Signing