Chelsea have reportedly offered Yannick Carrasco a huge five-year-deal in a bid to lure him to Stamford Bridge this summer.
As per Spanish publication Don Balon, the Blues have offered to double Carrasco’s current wages and the Belgian is said to be giving it some thought. Vitolo’s arrival in January and the 23-year-old’s relationship with Diego Simeone, may reportedly play a role in pushing him toward the exit.
The Belgian international has been linked with Chelsea for over a year now and while the purchase of a striker is top priority for the Blues at this time, Carrasco’s acquisition would without a doubt be a superb addition to their already formidable attacking lineup.
Carrasco, who has five seasons left on his current contract with Atletico, has been a key player for Simeone since joining them in the summer of 2015 and his impressive performances have courted interest from a number of European superpowers including Arsenal and Bayern Munich.
The 2016/17 campaign was the former AS Monaco winger’s best ever individual season. He netted a career-best 14 goals and provided 5 assists in 53 games across all competitions, amidst reports of him being ‘unsettled’ at the club and his relationship with Simeone reaching an all-time low.
Diego Costa is set to move to Atletico, but will be unable to play for them till the end of their transfer ban. Atletico have also signed Vitolo from Sevilla and loaned him out to UD Las Palmas until January, so that he may join them match fit for the second half of the season.
So while it is unlikely that Atletico will be willing to let any of their top players leave the club this summer, a January exit may be on the cards for Carrasco. However, Chelsea could flex their financial muscle and force Simeone & co to part with the Belgian sensation in the coming weeks.
After losing out in the race to sign Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United, they have been linked with Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata, Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and most recently Juventus superstar, Gonzalo Higuain.
However there doesn’t seem to be any concrete interest from Chelsea for any of them, and the acquisition of a world class striker still remains the top priority for Conte, who will certainly want more firepower to defend his title and take Chelsea as far as possible in the UEFA Champions League.
Predominantly a left winger, Carrasco can be utilised anywhere in attack and Conte could even play him as an out an out striker, should he wish to do so. However it is unlikely that he would have the same kind of impact as Diego Costa did, despite his pace and keen eye for goal.
But even with wingers such as Pedro, Willian and Eden Hazard in the squad, Carrasco would be a fine addition to the first-team setup at Stamford Bridge. Not only would he be able to provide strong competition to the aforementioned trio, but even Michy Batshuayi thanks to his versatility.
At 23, the best years of his career are still ahead of him and the Belgian, under Antonio Conte, could go on to establish himself as one of the finest wingers in the world. But only time will tell whether the Italian truly considers Carrasco to be the solution to his striker conundrum.
