Chelsea are making Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti their number one target in January, reports the Daily Mail.
The Italy international knows Antonio Conte well from their time together with the national team, and the Blues’ board are happy to back the manager by shelling out £30million for the player.
Yet, PSG are holding out for more than that, which could scupper the deal.
The Ligue 1 champions don’t have to sell as the 24-year-old is under contract until 2021, but sources have told the Mail that Chelsea are confident of prising him away nonetheless.
Although the Premier League leaders’ midfield is looking pretty healthy, they would ideally like to add another attacking option, as a move for Belgium and Roma star Radja Nainggolan never came off in the summer.
However much PSG would like to keep Verratti, that’s going to be difficult if Chelsea come calling, as they’ve previously struggled to prevent big stars like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Luiz heading to the Premier League.
Luiz’s presence at Stamford Bridge could be a further factor in convincing Verratti to join the champions-elect, but with PSG struggling in third behind Nice and Monaco, he might not need all that much persuading.
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