Chelsea have had a £30m bid rejected for AC Milan defender Alessio Romagnoli. One look at the Chelsea squad and it becomes obvious defence is the area Antonio Conte has to bolster. With Kurt Zouma injured, he only has John Terry and Gary Cahill as the recognized senior central defenders in the squad. Chelsea have been floundering in the transfer market for the majority of the summer but have been unsuccessful in their quest thus far. And after the latest rejection in their bid for Romagnoli we look at 3 viable options for the Blues to pursue before the transfer window shuts in a week’s time.
GIORGIO CHIELLINI
The talismanic Juventus player has been surprisingly seldom linked with other clubs. Maybe because of his professional attitude or his fierce loyalty to the club and his unparalleled success with the Old Lady, has put off potential suitors. But he would be a perfect fit for Chelsea. Ever since Antonio Conte was announced as the Chelsea manager, fans have been eager to see the Italian bring some of his iconic players from his time at the Serie A. And central defence being a high-priority area, the Juventus man would provide a romantic option for them. A reunion between Conte and his favourite leader, Chelsea would welcome him with open arms.
KALIDOU KOULIBALY
A target Chelsea have been actively pursuing throughout the summer and with 1 week remaining, they seem to have made a final bid for him. Italian clubs are notoriously stubborn in their transfer approach and given an opportunity look to extract the maximum amount they can from the Premier League clubs.
Chelsea have tabled an offer of £40m for him and are said to be firm in their final bid. With the window coming to a close, Chelsea have put the ball in Napoli’s court. Chelsea’s emerging interest in Maksimovic, who is Napoli’s long-term target, the prospect of forcing a wantaway player to stay (Koulibaly) and losing out on his No.1 replacement might prove a situation which forces the club to accept Chelsea’s offer.
STEFAN DE VRIJ
The uncertain nature of the two above deals might force the Stamford Bridge outfit into looking elsewhere and a viable alternative is Stefan De Vrij. The Dutch international has impressed so far in his career and one of his plus points is his ability to concentrate throughout the 90 minutes which helps cut down on mistakes. His tackling is impeccable and considering Lazio’s financial instability he is likely to come for within £20m which is less than half of Koulibaly’s quoted value. But Chelsea will be wary of his fitness situation as he almost missed the entire last season due to injury.