Chelsea have been the quietest in the transfer market so far out of the Premier League’s big guns, with rivals Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United all securing significant additions and pushing towards further recruits.
The Premier League champions have instead seen the majority of rumours concerning them surround potential outgoing deals, with the likes of Nemanja Matic and Diego Costa likely to leave, but Conte now seems to be pushing towards new faces.
Chelsea’s lack of squad depth will be a huge issue upon the club’s return to the Champions League next season and the Italian boss seems focused on improving his defensive ranks, with the Blues linked with an array of top-class signings.
Juventus full-back Alex Sandro seems to be the priority for Conte at the moment, with crunch talks said to be taking place ahead of a potential £60m move, and the Brazilian could potentially become Chelsea’s all-time most expensive recruit.
Sandro would significantly improve Chelsea’s options on the left-side of their defensive line, replacing Marcos Alonso, and the move would potentially allow Cesar Azpilicueta to end his spell in the middle of defence and instead more to his more favoured role on the right-hand side.
For that to happen though, Chelsea may need to sign another central defender, especially as many don’t fancy Gary Cahill these days, and Conte has a list of top-class signings he’s eyeing- including Roma’s Antonio Rudiger and Juventus’ Leonardo Bonucci, although the Blues face a challenge to secure both deals.
Reports indicate Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are also keen on a move for German defender Rudiger, whilst Bonucci has been linked with the likes of Barcelona and Liverpool, putting Chelsea under pressure in the market.
Chelsea may fancy their chances though as Bonucci has experience of working with Blues boss Antonio Conte, during the Italian’s spell in charge of the national side and Juventus, whilst Rudiger may get more opportunities at Stamford Bridge.
The next seven days are set to be crucial for Chelsea though as they push to negotiate deals, especially as their rivals seem to be currently focused on getting other deals over the line- which means that Chelsea could sneak a deal through before they face competition on the market.
Chelsea are now less than 20 days away from beginning their pre-season campaign in the Far East, which begins with a huge clash with Arsenal in Beijing on the 22nd July- and Chelsea will want their new signings in their squad before that game commences.
The Blues then face two tough challenges in Singapore, tackling Bayern Munich and Inter Milan before returning to England for the Community Shield clash with FA Cup winners Arsenal at Wembley.