Chelsea have turned to Brazilian attacking midfielder Felipe Anderson in a bid to strengthen their attacking options for the coming season.
The 23-year-old Brazilian looks increasingly likely to leave Lazio in the summer. The Italian outfit refused to sell their highly-rated attacker despite interest from the likes of Manchester United and Barcelona. But now, it seems as if Lazio have resigned to losing him in the next few months to bigger European clubs.
Gazetta World reports that this might be due to a change in Anderson’s manager as only last week, he signed with Giuliano Bertolucci. The Italian publication reports that Chelsea are interested in taking Anderson to Stamford Bridge. The Blues are reportedly closing in on the former Santos midfielder, and Lazio will be willing to part with him for the right price. The report further states that Anderson’s agent Bertolucci is working hard to push for a transfer to London and the fact that he has strong ties with compatriot Antonio Conte. This put the Blues at a huge advantage.
The Brazilian has gone on to become an integral part of Lazio’s team after joining from Santos in 2013. Post the 2014/15 season, where he racked up an impressive 11 goals in 37 appearances, he was subject to interest from the likes European giants Manchester United and Barcelona and PSG. However, he has been unable to live up to last season’s promise and had a disappointing campaign, managing only 7 goals and 4 assists in the Serie A. It seems as if Chelsea will look to soften the blow of missing out on Lazio’s Antonio Candreva with a younger and more exciting prospect. A move to England might just be what the 23-year old requires to rejuvenate his career and given his below-par season, the Blues may very well be able to acquire him for a much lesser fee than the €50 million that was reportedly rejected by Lazio last season.
