Chelsea told they will have to pay mega £40m to land Leicester midfielder Danny Drinkwater
Blues desperate to strengthen, but Foxes value England midfielder at same price as London club got for selling Nemanja Matic to Manchester United
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CHELSEA have been told to stump up an eye-watering £40million if they want to sign Leicester's Danny Drinkwater, according to reports.
Blues boss Antonio Conte is desperate to strengthen his squad but the Foxes have slapped a high price tag on their England midfielder.
Conte has endured a difficult summer which was compounded by seeing his defending champions lose 3-2 at home to Burnley on the opening day of the season.
The Italian has cut a frustrated figure and has reportedly been in a stand-off with Chelsea chiefs who think his transfer targets are too old.
With Cesc Fabregas suspended, Tiemoue Bakayoko injured and Nemanja Vidic sold to Manchester United, Conte urgently needs midfield reinforcements.
But Chelsea know that, with the transfer window set to shut in two weeks, selling clubs can demand higher prices.
The Blues are reportedly poised to offer £25m for Drinkwater, after having had an initial bid of £15m
But according to , Leicester will make it clear that they value 27-year-old Drinkwater at £40m.
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That is the same price as Chelsea received for Matic, who is two years older that Drinkwater.
Drinkwater also has four years left on his contract and is a homegrown player, an important factor for clubs competing in the Champions League.
Arsenal have played hard ball over Chelsea's attempts sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, while SunSport revealed that the Blues will have to cough up £50m to land Tottenham's Danny Rose.
Their efforts to sign Alex Sandro from Juventus have also hit a brick wall, while the Diego Costa saga rolls on.
The exiled striker, who was told he must report back to Chelsea after going AWOL, could now join Deportivo Coruna on loan ahead of a permanent return to Atletico Madrid.
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