Chelsea are lining up a move for Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy. According to recent reports in the English media, the English forward is gathering interest from a whole host of clubs which include the Blues of London among other potential suitors. Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is on the lookout for a target man in this transfer window with Vardy being reported as a potential candidate to take up the role at Stamford Bridge.
The 31-year-old has recently responded to claims linking him with a move away from the King Power Stadium with the Premier League pair of Chelsea and Everton monitoring his situation at the West Midlands club. The Blues want to ease the goal-scoring burden on their forward Alvaro Morata following his struggles to consistently find the back of the net this season. Antonio Conte is not a big admirer of Michy Batshuayi, another striker who has fallen down the pecking order this season and is set to depart the club in the near future.
Jamie Vardy has made 26 appearances for the Foxes this season, scoring 11 goals and making one assist in all competitions.
Leicester City are currently preparing for their FA Cup fourth-round clash away at League One side Peterborough United on Saturday and in an interview ahead of the game, Vardy reassured his commitment to the Foxes and rubbished rumours linking him with a move out of the West Midlands club. When asked to address the speculation, the 31-year-old said:
“Who have I been linked with today? Chelsea, they’ve been linked with everybody, haven’t they?
“You just have to take things like this with a pinch of salt, it’s just rumours. Usually, it all gets started by someone throwing a few quid on it at the bookies.
“I’m a Leicester player and I’m just concentrating on Leicester until the club tell me otherwise and we will be looking to progress to the next round of the cup.”
Vardy has scored 77 goals and made 41 assists in 218 appearances for the Foxes throughout his career. His prolific record at the top tier of English football has alerted the big clubs to make a move for his signature.
Chelsea are currently in third place in the Premier League table, a massive 15 points behind league leaders Manchester City. Antonio Conte’s men have fallen off the pace in recent weeks due to their lack of firepower up top. A potential big-money move for someone of the calibre of Vardy could go a long way in addressing some of their problems in front of goal. It remains to be seen whether the Blues are successful in their attempts to lure the centre-forward to play football in west London.
