Antonio Conte has asked Roman Abramovic to make a move for Real Madrid’s James Rodriguez and also to hijack Manchester United’s move for Alvaro Morata as per the reports from the Spanish news outlet AS (h/t Sport Witness).
The task certainly will be a laborious one given the fact that Manchester United are closing in to acquire the signature of the latter, but Conte is hopeful of making a last-ditch attempt to bring in the 24-year-old Spaniard to Stamford Bridge. As per the aforementioned source, the Italian gaffer has asked the board to offer Real more than what Manchester United are offering, €70 million to be specific.
Chelsea, without a slightest of doubt, will do a world of good with someone like Alvaro Morata at their disposal. Furthermore, what gives the Blues a slight edge in the speculation is the fact that Diego Costa is well expected to leave the Bridge this summer. The 28-year-old has already been told that he is not in the plans of Antonio Conte, hence, a suitable replacement will be the primary concern for the Blues.
With both Manchester United and Chelsea well-capable of offering Morata the first team football, the former Juventus attacker will have to be very precious while choosing his options. Furthermore, the fact that it was Antonio Conte under whom Morata joined Juventus back in 2014, might play a bit part role in the speculation. But besides that, they were also closing in to acquire his signature past summer, only to get beaten by Real Madrid mainly due to the fact that they had a buy-back clause at their disposal.
Furthermore, James Rodriguez, who is on the verge of leaving Santiago Bernabeu this summer, is another one of the high profile names Conte wants at Chelsea, according to Sport (h/t Metro). Reports have claimed that the likes of Manchester United and Paris-Saint Germain are vying to acquire his signature, but are unwilling to meet his €75 million asking price. And this is where Chelsea can play a trump card. With Champions League football and a complete backing of the board, Conte might cash in a whopping €145 million to acquire the duo.
While Morata can be offered a regular first team football, a couple of eyebrows can be raised regarding James Rodriguez’s role at the Bridge. Should the Colombian be offered a first team role, either Willian or Pedro will suffer. Hence, it will now be interesting to see how Conte lines his bid up.
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