Chelsea transfer news: Antonio Conte to sell Eden Hazard in exchange for Leonardo Bonucci

CHELSEA are stepping up their bid to sign Leonardo Bonucci — by preparing to offer Eden Hazard in exchange.

Antonio Conte has made signing the Italian defender his No 1 priority.

And Juventus have intimated they could be ready to part company with Bonucci if the Blues break the world record transfer fee for a defender AND add Cesc Fabregas in exchange.

However, Conte is hoping to lower the costs by including Hazard in any deal.

At just 25, the Belgian is worth much more than Fabregas on the market.

He was the PFA Players’ Player of the Year in 2015 and appeared to have the world at his feet — with Chelsea fighting off interest from the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

But, he endured a disastrous 2015-16 and has since failed to convince Conte of his reliability.

Juventus boss, Max Allegri, however, would rather bring Fabregas to Serie A — as the Spaniard is more suitable to the Bianconeri’s system.

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The Italian champions’ midfield has taken a hit in recent years, with Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Paul Pogba all leaving.

Allergi sees Fabregas as the perfect player to sit in front of the defence in either his 4-3-3 or 3-5-2 systems — and the heir to the throne vacated by Pirlo.

While, despite all of his obvious talent, Hazard doesn’t quite suit Juve’s style.