Chelsea are preparing a move for Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar after sending scouts to watch the player in action last month. Antonio Conte is a big admirer of the 22-year-old and has been tracking the player for a long time. The Slovakian international has recently emerged as one of the most influential players in the Inter Milan squad and now, Chelsea are looking to recruit him and go head to head with Premier League leaders, Manchester City who are also keen on securing the defender’s signature. According to latest reports in Italy, the Premier duo of Chelsea and Manchester City are both in the race for the centre-back along with La Liga giants Barcelona.
The Blues of London are set to make an offer for the Serie A defender as they try to close the gap to Manchester United in the top half of the Premier League table. Chelsea currently finds themselves in 3rd place, a point behind the Red Devils. Conte has identified that his squad needs an injection of quality as his side prepares to compete in all four competitions in the second half of the season. Although, the Londoners have been blessed by a trio of quality central defenders in this campaign with the likes of Gary Cahill, Andreas Christensen, and Antonio Rudiger all impressing at Stamford Bridge so far.
However, David Luiz has fallen out of favour at Stamford Bridge and looks set to switch clubs in the near future. His departure will free up space for a new defender in the Chelsea squad with the Blues’ interest firmly on Skriniar.
The 22-year-old joined Inter Milan from Sampdoria in the summer on a deal worth in the region of €30m plus bonuses. He has gone on to make 19 appearances for the Serie A giants and has scored 3 goals so far. The Slovakian is highly versatile and can play as a centre-back as well as a defensive midfielder.
Although, it won’t be easy to prise him away from the San Siro as his current deal with Inter Milan expires in the summer of 2022. So Chelsea will need to splash the cash if they are to win the race in pursuit of the player.
The Blues has the second best defensive record in the Premier League but with David Luiz’s impending departure looming on the horizon, they might be a bit short in numbers in central defence. It remains to be seen whether they can fend off strong competition from Manchester City and Barcelona to secure a big money deal to land the player.
