Latest reports are confirming that Chelsea and Manchester United have been given a transfer boost with Inter Milan ready to offload their star winger Antonio Candreva. The 31-year-old is reportedly no longer a part of Luciano Spalletti’s plan and Inter is ready to offload him.
The 31-year old had an excellent attacking stat in Lazio where he scored once every four games for the club but he has so far been unable to back up his game at Inter. In fact, he has been unable to score a single goal at the club this season in 24 appearances. However, he remains a potent attacking threat having racked up eight assists this season.
The player had previously spoken of his desire to play for the big clubs in England. He said: “I really like the Premier League, as it’s an exceptional competition. I’d love to have a go at playing in the Premier League.”
Chelsea have long been in the hunt for Candreva with current Blues’ boss known to be a keen admirer of the player. Conte has seen Candreva in action first hand when the pair were working together for the national team of Italy.
His agent recently opened up about a possible move to Chelsea last year.
“When he arrived at Inter he was very happy, and he still has this enthusiasm,” he told Rai Sport. “He was very close to going [to Chelsea] last winter, but he had just been bought by Inter, so it wasn’t possible. We’re waiting for the end of the season. If they finish in the top four, I think he’ll be happy to remain and finally play in the Champions League.”
Chelsea currently have Pedro, Hazard, Willian and Ross Barkley as the wingers come attacking midfielders in the senior team. While Hazard is a star and untouchable in the first team, the same cannot be said for the rest of the three options. Barkley is still to prove his mettle after recovering from a long injury.
The case for Pedro and Willian is that both players are highly inconsistent and have a habit of disappearing from matches. While Pedro is hopelessly beyond first team quality, Willian has improved his game after a below standard start to his season. However, the Brazilian is still far off from playing twice a week at the top level and Pedro despite his efforts is not the man who can add the quality Chelsea need at the top.
This might prompt Candreva to move to the west London club where he is likely to get a decent amount of game-time.
