Chelsea’s incoming manager Antonio Conte is reportedly keen on landing Inter Milan man Ivan Perisic, who could be available for as little as £12 million.

That’s according to Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t James Gray of the Daily Express), who stated that the Serie A side will look to move the Croatia international on this summer, although they are keen to at least recoup the aforementioned sum that they parted with to sign the player from Wolfsburg. 

“Conte is said to have his eye on Perisic as he seeks to revamp the squad at Stamford Bridge,” added Gray.

Perisic is an extremely gifted player, and he impressed in spells during his debut term at the San Siro. Here are some of his best moments from 2015-16:

The 27-year-old would be a potentially savvy addition. He can operate across midfield and even as a centre-forward when needed; it’s versatility that epitomises his footballing intelligence, with the player able to find space, control possession and drive at opposition players with a purpose.

In the early weeks of his Inter career, the Nerazzurri supporters didn’t see these qualities too frequently. But as these figures from WhoScored.com show, he started to come good before the end of the campaign:

With that in mind, it’d be peculiar to see Inter cash in on the player, especially for what’d be a meagre amount in the eyes of plenty. Perisic may not have set Serie A alight in his first campaign with the club, but his stock certainly hasn’t regressed; he’s capable of improving a lot of elite sides on the continent.

Additionally, Chelsea probably don’t require a player of his ilk. They already have plenty of talented attacking midfielders, and it’s difficult to see Perisic ousting one of Eden Hazard, Oscar, Willian or Pedro for a spot in the starting XI at Stamford Bridge.

 

Borussia Monchengladbach to Break Bank for Andreas Christensen

According to Bild (h/t Uche Amako of the Daily Express), Borussia Monchengladbach are ready to break their transfer record in an attempt to clinch a permanent deal for Andreas Christensen.

The Bundesliga side recently cashed in on skipper Granit Xhaka, who has completed his move to Arsenal. And it’s suggested in the piece that BMG will now use the funds recouped from that sale to make Christensen’s two-year loan deal with the club a permanent signing, with a £15 million fee suggested.

Here is a look at why the German club will be keen to capture the Chelsea defender, who impressed in the first year of his temporary move:

As noted by Football Insider’s Liam Twomey earlier this year, it seems as though the Blues are in no rush to bring the 20-year-old back to Stamford Bridge:

With Kurt Zouma, Gary Cahill, Branislav Ivanovic and captain John Terry at the club already, that’s no surprise. While the Denmark international has excelled at Borussia Park, all of the names aforementioned are proven in the Premier League and will be viewed as much more reliable figures by Conte. Another year out on loan would be superb for the youngster’s development, too.

The Blues would surely be wary of agreeing a transfer, though. After all, players like Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne shone on loan away from the club before being sold; Chelsea could definitely do with both of those now. Christensen has the talent to potentially be another player the club come to regret moving on. 

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