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staying but the financial balance of the club must meet the balance of the squad.”

Conte is keen to improve his options at full-back, especially after allowing Nathan Ake and Abdul Baba Rahman to leave on loan. The race for a centre-half is expected to go to the wire, though, as Chelsea continue to struggle to agree a fee with clubs for their prized assets.

Chelsea have now added Lazio defender Stefan de Vrij to the list and have made an offer in excess of £21m. De Vrij, 24, was named in the team of the World Cup two years