Chelsea will offer Fiorentina winger Federcio Bernardeschi a bumper contract in a bid to lure him to Stamford Bridge, according to reports
According to Gazzetta Dello Sport, Chelsea will attempt to fight off interest from both Juventus and Inter Milan to land Federico Bernardeschi this summer and are willing to offer him a much more lucrative contract in order to do so.
They state that Juventus boss Beppe Marotta has instructed legendary Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon to “test the waters” with Bernardeschi as they look to sign him this summer, while Inter Milan have been chasing the winger for months now.
However, they claim that Fiorentina are still trying to get the 23-year old to renew his contract by offering him a post-tax €2.7 million-a-year deal, while Chelsea are willing to offer Bernardeschi nearly double that amount at €5 million a year.
Bernardeschi, who progressed through Fiorentina’s academy, has quickly grown into one of the most sought after wingers in Europe after his brilliant performances for Fiorentina this season, which has seen him score 10 goals and pick up 4 assists in 28 Serie A appearances.
A pacy, strong and technically gifted winger – Bernardeschi is renowned for his tendency to run at defenders as well as his positional sense and is considered one of Italy’s most exciting prospects in recent times.
It was reported last month that Juventus were attempting to steal a march on their rivals by tabling a €40 million offer for the Italian international, which goes with their recent policy of signing the best talents from within the country.
Inter Milan are also looking to rebuild their side and with the new financing from Suning Holdings Group, they will be able to match bids from several of Europe’s elite clubs – something they have been unable to do in the recent past.
However, Chelsea will be the clear favourites should it come down to a bidding war and there is no doubt that Roman Abramovich will back Antonio Conte in the market, given how successful he has been with the side this season.
Bernardeschi himself could be tempted to work with Conte, who is one of the most respected managerial figures in Italy and the competitiveness and glamour of the English Premier League is a factor that regularly tempts players to make the move from foreign countries.
If Gazzetta are to be believed, Chelsea are even sweetening the deal with a lucrative contract offer and given how regular the links with Bernardeschi have been over the past few month, we could well see him plying his trade at Stamford Bridge next season.
