Outlining the Serie A stars on Chelsea's shopping list
With Antonio Conte set to jump ship and join Chelsea in the summer, it is time to ask exactly who the Blues are chasing from Italy's Elite tier, and specifically who the current Italy manager would like to bring with him to Stamford Bridge. One unexpected name is that of Juan Cuadrado, a player who is uncertain of his permance in Turin, as he'd cost over €20 million to bring over for good.
One of his big estimators just happens to be Conte, who went to bat for him back when the latter was still manager at Juventus. Among the other Juventus players, we find the likes of Paul Pogba and Leonardo Bonucci. Unlike the on-loan Cuadrado, it will be up to them whether they want to leave or not. Another big Conte crush is Radja Nainggolan, whose move to Roma was nearly shipwrecked by a late Bianconeri offer, which only ended up driving up his price.
Lazio could also have something to offer the Old Lady, with names like Antonio Candreva and Lucas Biglia also being strongly considered.
Were Diego Costa to leave, Mauro Icardi - a long-standing transfer target- is one of the first names on the list... along with that of Gonzalo Higuain. Do not underestimate these deals. Italian clubs (except for Juventus) are generally short on funds, and could do with a big injection. PSG made the most of that, contributing some 270 million to Calcio's coffers with its Leonardo-led binge.
Will Conte's tune seduce enough players and/or clubs?
Emanuele Tramacere (@tramacema), translated by Edo Dalmonte (@edodalmonte)
