CHELSEA SET TO SPLASH £250M
Conte goes for Sandro and Llorente in record spree
Chelsea are ready to answer antonio Conte’s plea for more players by firing their summer spending towards £250million.
The champions have already made four signings for a total of £140m. and they want to add four more, with alex sandro, Fernando llorente and Virgil van Dijk among the targets.
It could take their outlay beyond that of Manchester City, who bought Benjamin Mendy from Monaco yesterday for £52m, taking their summer splurge to £230m, a world record for a transfer window. Juventus left back sandro, valued at more than £60m, is a key Chelsea target, as is midfielder antonio Candreva of Inter Milan. he can operate in a number of positions on the right, including wing back.
as yet, Inter have not received a bid from Chelsea for the 30- year- old, who is
crucial to the balance of their team. Conte knows Candreva from his time with Italy’s national team and it is felt he could be prised away for less than £30m. Chelsea also have an interest in Swansea striker Llorente, 32, who worked effectively with Conte at Juventus, and are close to a £12m deal for Fluminense striker Richarlison, 20. A move for another central defender is no longer the priority since the signing of Antonio Rudiger from Roma for £32m, but Chelsea are poised to move for Van Dijk, 26, if Southampton show they are ready to sell. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who has spent close to £130m on defenders this summer, is now focusing on strikers and could bid for £50m-rated Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal or Monaco sensation Kylian Mbappe, 18.