Chelsea Transfer Rumors 2017: Blues Interested in Alex Sandro, Virgil van Dijk, Antonio Candreva and Fernando Llorente
Chelsea have already spent close to £130 million to sign Álvaro Morata, Tiemoué Bakayoko and Antonio Rüdiger this offseason. However, that figure could top £250 million by the time the summer transfer window closes.
According to the Telegraph, Blues manager Antonio Conte has his eyes on four more signings this summer and he is reportedly targeting Juventus left-back Alex Sandro, Southampton centre-back Virgil van Dijk, Inter Milan winger Antonio Candreva, and Swansea City striker Fernando Llorente.
"Conte insisted last week, during the pre-season tour of Asia, that Chelsea urgently needed more players. The Italian will intensify his attempts to bring in fresh faces this month," John Percy wrote in his report for the Telegraph.
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"After winning the league by seven points, Chelsea are desperate to avoid a repeat of two years ago when they endured a miserable title defence, eventually finishing 10th," he added.
Sandro has been on Chelsea's radar for several months now, but so far, negotiations have been difficult with Juventus fighting to keep him on their squad. It is believed that they may have to pay around £60 million if they want to sign the Brazilian left-back. That means they will have to break the world-record transfer fee for a defender again this summer. Earlier this week, Manchester City paid £52 million to sign Benjamin Mendy from Monaco.
Van Dijk has been linked with a move to Liverpool this summer, but the Reds were forced to abandon their pursuit following an alleged illegal approach. That should give Chelsea the chance to swoop in and sign the Dutch centre-back. According to the report, signing Van Dijk isn't one of their top priorities right now, but they will continue to monitor the situation.
Candreva is an interesting target because he can also play wing-back on the right flank. The Blues could also use another striker and Llorente's a savvy veteran who knows how to put the ball into the back of the net.
