Chelsea are ready to step up their interest in AS Roma striker Edin Džeko. According to recent reports in the English press, the Blues are preparing themselves to go on a spending spree and splash the cash on the Roma pair of Edin Džeko and Emerson Palmieri this month. It is believed that the West London outfit is ready to offer a combined fee of £44m to the Seria A club in the hope that it would be enough to convince them to part ways with their prized assets. However, the Italians are holding out for a fee closer to £44m plus £13.2m in add-ons.
Some reports have suggested that initial talks have already been held between the two clubs earlier this month and will resume in the coming days following Roma’s crunch game with Inter Milan on Sunday night. The Blues are reluctant to fork out a potential fee of £57.2m but remain confident about their chances of convincing the Italian club to do business.
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is a big fan of Edin Dzeko and is eager to land his signature this month. The Bosnia-Herzegovina international scored a brace against the Londoners earlier this season to secure a 3-3 draw at Stamford Bridge for his team in the UEFA Champions League group stages.
Dzeko has previously played for Manchester City between 2011 and 2016 before joining Roma in the Seria A. He has won the golden boot in the Italian first-division since making the switch to Italy and has gone on to score 9 goals in the league this season. The 31-year-old forward is keen to join the Blues this month with Juventus also keeping tabs on his situation at Roma. Chelsea has reportedly offered Michy Batshuayi on loan as part of the deal but the Italian club are still weighing up their options to find a replacement for Dzeko if he leaves the club in January.
The AS Roma forward has featured in 26 matches for the Seria A giants in this campaign, scoring 12 goals and providing 4 assists in all competitions. The addition of the Bosnia-Herzegovina international will definitely bolster Antonio Conte’s attacking options going into the second half of the season as they look to compete in four different competitions. Dzeko will be able to provide stiff competition to Alvaro Morata for a place in Conte’s starting eleven at Stamford Bridge.
It remains to be seen whether Chelsea are successful in their efforts to secure the Roma forward’s signature before the transfer window comes to a close at the end of this month.
