Chelsea are preparing a combined bid for Lazio duo Antonio Candrevaand Marco Parolo, according to Italian broadcaster SportItalia.
Antonio Conte has identified the duo as two of his prime targets for the summer and will offer €45 million.
According to Inside Football, Candreva’s agent has revealed his client is looking for a new challenge this summer.
Chelsea lose battle for Bonucci
Chelsea have been handed a big transfer blow with news that Manchester City are close to landing Leonardo Bonucci from Juventus in a £50 million deal.
According to The Daily Mirror, City have seen off Antonio Conte’s bid to be reunited with Bonucci at Chelsea and Juve are prepared to let the Italy centre-half leave.
City, we are told, have stepped up talks over the last 24 hours and the Italian champions are demanding £50 million, which would equal the transfer world record fee for a defender.
Reports in Italy claim Bonucci, who is currently on holiday, is keen to come to the Etihad to work with Pep Guardiola and that City are offering him a contract worth nearly £140,000 a week.
Is Remy on his way to Turkey?
Besiktas will target Chelsea striker Loic Remy should the Turkish side fail to complete a permanent deal for Mario Gomez, reports The London Evening Standard.
The German forward impressed for Besiktas on loan from Fiorentina last term, but the two clubs have yet to agree a fee.
Chelsea are willing to sell Remy, who has started just nine League games since joining from Queens Park Rangers for £10.5 million in 2014.
A Costa-Morata combination?
Chelsea and Antonio Conte have been in touch with Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata on a daily basis and have assured the Spaniard that he will receive first-team minutes at Stamford Bridge, according to Marca.
The report claims that Morata is seeking assurances from Zinedine Zidane that he will figure at Los Blancos since the club bought him back from Italian club Juventus.
The report goes on to suggest that the Blues have already made a €60 million offer to the reigning European champions but the bid was turned down.
A quick recap of yesterday’s news
No doubt what the big news of the day was, with Telegraph Sportrevealing Chelsea will not hesitate to inform Atletico Madrid they must stop their public pursuit of Diego Costa, having already grown tired of the Spanish club’s antics.
Costa has not handed in a transfer request and has not said he wants to leave Chelsea to return to Atletico. Instead, Chelsea will send them the footballing equivalent of a ‘cease and desist’ order, which is rather polite in the grubby world of football transfers.
Elsewhere, it has been confirmed that Juan Cuadrado will stay at the club. The Colombian winger has endured a rather underwhelming stint at Stamford Bridge since joining for £26.1 million in February 2015, spending last season on loan at Juventus.
But Conte, who knows the player from his time in Italy, says he is going nowhere. “Cuadrado is Chelsea’s player. I like him. He arrived today and this afternoon he starts to train with us.”
Meanwhile, Asamoah Gyan claims Chelsea have not approached him. The Ghana skipper is unlikely to remain at Shanghai SIPG for much longer, following the arrival of Hulk, but the striker has made it clear that the Blues have not been in touch – despite the rumours.
Plagued by injury, the former Sunderland ace has been overshadowed by the arrival of Brazilian star-signing Hulk.
However, in an interview with Hot FM, Gyan said: “I deal with paper work. I have not received any offer from Chelsea, I think they are all rumours, but I have received a lot of offers from different clubs. And I will take a decision when the right time comes. I am still observing things.”
Gyan is reportedly earning €271,000 per week at the Chinese super club, making him the world’s sixth highest-paid player.
And finally, Kostas Manolas’s departure from Roma is becoming ever more likely after the defender had a training ground ‘bust up’ with teammate Kevin Strootman.
According to Gazzeta World, the pair had to be separated after the Dutchman suggested Manolas wasn’t working hard enough during drills.
Chelsea are in the market for a centre-back to provide competition, and cover, for John Terry and Gary Cahill.
