Chelsea have seemingly lost out in the race to sign Boca Juniors striker Jonathan Calleri after the Argentine club’s president revealed the 22-year-old is on the verge of a move to Italy.

The Blues have long been linked with the young Argentine star and were recently said to be closing in on signing him, per Calcio Mercato (h/t Tom Olver in Metro).

However, Boca president Daniel Angelici has now said that Calleri—who is valued at €9 million (£6.5 million)—is all but guaranteed to join a Serie A club, per Telam (h/t Gazzetta World’s Juan Arango):

“Calleri’s sale is 99 percent complete. He will be sold to an English investment group and will play in Italy.”

Inter Milan seem the most likely destination for Calleri having been heavily linked with him recently, per translator David Amoyal on GianlucaDiMarzio.com.

The Argentine was Boca Juniors’ top scorer in their 2015 league-winning campaign, netting 10 times in 26 matches, per WhoScored.com.

He is unquestionably a major talent, as can be seen below:

Calleri could potentially have been a useful and good value addition to Jose Mourinho’s struggling Blues side in January, especially with Diego Costa currently misfiring and mooted for a potential departure from Stamford Bridge, per Bleacher Report’s Dean Jones:

However, it seems they will have to look elsewhere for added firepower, and West Bromwich Albion‘s Saido Berahino could perhaps be an option. 

The £20 million-rated English striker has been linked with a move to the Blues, but the Baggies director of football, Richard Garlick, is insistent Berahino will not be sold in the new year, per David Armitage in the Daily Star:

“The club’s position remains unchanged. We can’t stop people if they want to bid, that is up to them. But he is not a player we have identified as one we want to move on. The jungle drums are not sounding. There is always going to be speculation in the press, but we have not had any discussions or been approached.” 

This could perhaps be a blessing in disguise for Chelsea as Berahino, 22, has arguably not yet convinced that he has the quality to make an impact at one of the Premier League’s biggest clubs.

He has impressed in fits and starts, but this season has only returned three goals in 11 top-flight appearances, per WhoScored.

Chelsea have to guarantee maximum impact from their January signings, should they make any.

As they are currently struggling in a lowly 14th spot in the Premier League, top-quality additions need to be made, and Chelsea could bring in a higher-calibre player than Berahino with £20 million.

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