According to latest reports, Premier League leaders Chelsea are planning to table a bid for Serie A star Patrik Schick as the Blues aim to inject more competition to their attack next season.
The absence of European fixtures this season has helped the London outfit immensely in their successful league run, but things won’t remain the same next season and manager Antonio Conte would need shuffling and reshuffling the squad to scrape through the hectic schedule.
Chelsea have hardly experimented with their squad this season since losing away to Arsenal early in the campaign. The first eleven has done the trick for the club. Diego Costa has been left unchallenged throughout the season for the centre-forward position and given the quality forward that he is, the Spaniard didn’t let any complacency creep in.
Michy Batshuayi hasn’t got the chances he hoped for, and an early exit from the EFL Cup further suppressed them. The Belgian hasn’t been in the best of form anyway, and Conte looks to bring in a more impactful performer who could take off the burden from Costa. And according to latest reports, Conte might have found his ideal candidate in the Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur target.
The 21-year-old has attracted numerous suitors with his prolific displays this season. Despite not being a starter in the Sampdoria side, the Czech Republic international has managed to bang in nine goals in all competitions. Apart from the Premier League giants, sides like West Brom, Everton and Crystal Palace are also keeping tabs on the striker.
As per Daily Mail, Schick’s agent Pavel Paska is extremely close to holding talks with North London clubs Arsenal and Tottenham about a possible move this summer. However, Serie A biggies Inter Milan and Juventus are keen on keeping the youngster in Italy by tabling their own bids. There is expected to be a huge bidding war when summer transfer window opens.
Apparently, Schick has a petty buyout clause of £21 million in his contract, something most of his suitors are capable of giving should the need arise. And a lot will depend on the player’s choice when the time comes. When asked recently about a move to England, the player didn’t back down from expressing his excitement in playing there.
He stated, “The Premier League? Why not… It’s the best League in the world and above all the most balanced. Who knows, but right now I’m at Sampdoria.”
An academy product of Czech side Sparta Praha, Schick has also had loan stints in FC Bohemians Prag 1905 before Sampdoria picked him up last summer. A centre-forward by nature, his strongest attribute in aerial duels which makes him very dangerous from set pieces.
