Chelsea Transfer News: Premier League champions in massive final transfer flurry

Chelsea's manager Antonio Conte waits in the technical area.Source: AP

CHELSEA might be playing the respect card with Southampton - telling them they’ll stay away from Virgil van Dijk but the moment he’s available, they’re ready – but otherwise, the champions are being hugely active as deadline looms.

The Telegraph reports the director Marina Granovskaia has been enlisted to hastily arrange meetings with clubs and agents to get the three new names Antonio Conte craves.
They include talks with ongoing targets Danny Drinkwater from Leicester, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from Arsenal, Ross Barkley from Everton, Cedric Soares from Southampton, Antonio Candreva from Inter Milan and Juventus’ Alex Sandro. Paris Saint-Germain’s desire to off-load Serge Aurier could see the London club open talks there as well.
The most exotic rumour, however, surrounds pursuit of another striker.

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Inter Milan's Italian midfielder Antonio CandrevaSource: AFP

With Alvaro Morata needing support, a hit list of Fernando Llorente, Christian Benteke, Andrea Belotti and, surprisingly, Jamie Vardy, has been drawn up. These are names the club has “considered over the past weeks and months”.
It comes as the Mirror reports that underwhelming marksman Michy Batshuayi has become subject to £36million interest from Lille. Although that’s less than they bought the Belgian for, the valuation of the pound would see the club make a profit on a player who has not impressed at Stamford Bridge, but whose departure would make the addition of another top forward a priority.

Chelsea's Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi (L)Source: AFP

Barkley has long been linked with Tottenham, but Chelsea could splash extra onto his weekly wage, which Spurs can’t, to try get him to Stamford Bridge instead of Wembley. The Telegraph tips a £20million bid – even though Everton still hope to get much more than that.
While that’s all happening, Chelsea need to make peace with Diego Costa. The Sun reports that the striker has been delivered an ultimatum by Atletico Madrid: patch up your differences in London before returning to Spain.
That means Costa may have to return to London still to smoke the peace pipe, but work will still need to be done for a move to go through. Chelsea want £50million; Atletico’s valuation is currently half that.
Finally, Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Conte could be the man to re-ignite the career of Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio, who has stagnated under Maximilliano Allegri.

Juventus' midfielder Claudio Marchisio (R)Source: AFP

The 31-year-old, with nearly 400 appearances for the Turin club, is also being chased by AC Milan. He reportedly wants to move abroad, but Juve are wanting more than the £17m initially offered by Chelsea.