Chelsea target Federico Bernardeschi as Antonio Conte keeps tabs on old favourite
Conte shipped out Brazil star Oscar out for £60million which is lilely to be reinvested in more attacking talent like the Fiorentina ace
FEDERICO BERNARDESCHI is the Fiorentina star Chelsea have been sending scouts to keep a close eye on this season with a view to a summer swoop.
Blues boss Antonio Conte will be backed in both the January and the summer transfer windows after taking Chelsea to the top of the table since he took over in the summer.
He has already shipped Oscar out for a handsome £60million which is likely to be reinvested in more attacking talent, like Bernardeschi.
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The 22-year-old looks the perfect player for Conte’s new-look Stamford Bridge side as he has a voracious work ethic and can play in a number of positions.
The Italy international has starred for club and country as a winger, second striker and playmaker and even had a go at wing-back, much like the superbly Conte-converted Victor Moses.
Conte already has a soft spot for the left-footed ace after he gave him his international debut and took him to Euro 2016.
Conte will get the cash to freshen up his defence and attack and looks likely to ship out Michy Batshuayi, after he overlooked the £35million man for the Boxing Day win over Bournemouth when first-choice striker Diego Costa was banned.
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Almost embarrassingly the 23-year-old was sent on as a 94th minute sub – for a few final seconds with the 3-0 win already secured – for playmaker Eden Hazard who was chosen to lead the line ahead of him.
The Belgian striker has racked up 11 Premier League appearances this season as Costa’s understudy – all from the bench – but they have totalled just 77 minutes of action, making his Stamford Bridge future look bleak.
Bernardeschi, meanwhile, has made 18 Serie A appearances and scored nine times – including a brace in the 3-3 draw with Napoli on December 22.