Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is away on Euro duty with Italy, but his transfer plans are well underway.
The Italian wants to reshape the Chelsea defence this summer and is looking to sign two defenders from Serie A.
Inter Milan defender Jeison Murillo and Juventus full back Stephan Lichtsteiner are targets for the former Juventus manager.
Conte wants to sign a right back this summer and Ivanovic’s decline last season means that strengthening that position is a priority for the Blues now. The Italy manager has identified the highly rated Juventus defender Stephan Lichtsteiner as an ideal candidate.
With Alves heading to Juventus for next season, Lichtsteiner is apparently unhappy and wants out. Conte is ready to provide him with an exit route.
According to recent reports, Pep Guardiola is also looking to sign the Juventus star as a replacement for Pablo Zabaleta. Conte is willing to go to war with the new Manchester City boss and it will be interesting to see who manages to pull off the transfer in the end.
However, one cannot deny that Conte will have an advantage considering he has worked with the player before and the duo share a great working relationship.
Colombian defender Jeison Murillo is also a target for the Blues. Initially Conte was keen on the Juventus defender Bonucci, but it appears that the Italy international won’t be sold this summer.
Inter Milan signed Murillo for a fee of €8m and are likely to demand a lot of money if they were to sell him. Furthermore, his quality performances last season means that the Blues will have a lot of competition for him.
Finally, Chelsea are also in talks with the French keeper Steve Mandanda regarding a summer transfer.
Evening Standard are reporting that Conte is ready to sell Begovic and sign Mandanda as a replacement. The player has previously claimed that he would like a move to the Premier League.
The 31-year-old’s current deal at Marseille runs out next month and he could join the Blues on a free transfer. The player has spent nine seasons at Marseille and has been their first choice keeper throughout.
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