Chelsea have reportedly ended their interest in Portuguese star Renato Sanches and turned their attention to £30m rated Danny Drinkwater from Leicester City.

The Bayern Munich midfielder has been linked with a move away from Germany all summer, as the youngster failed to make a real impact at the club last season despite a brilliant Euro’s last summer. It has been rumoured that Sanches is being chased by many clubs, including AC Milan and a host of top Premier League sides, with the Blues among those interested in the Portugal international.

However, despite the strong links between Sanches and Chelsea, it seems that Conte is more intent on signing Drinkwater, a proven Premier League midfielder. Leicester are believed to want a fee of around £30m for the former Manchester United youth product, but Chelsea are intent on lowering that fee.

Paul Mariner of ESPN has gone a step further than most. He says that Sanches would not fit in at Chelsea and would only become a squad rotation player – backing the youngster to join Liverpool. When asked if the 19-year-old would be a good addition at Chelsea, Mariner told ESPN FC: “No, not yet, I don’t think so. I think it would be a bit too much for him.”

“I think if he goes to Chelsea he just goes into the rotation. That’s not what he wants. He’s a fantastic player this kid, a young player, a sensational player. I think that he may end up at Liverpool.”