Today’s transfer news involves the flurry of activity at Stamford Bridge following the announcement of Antonio Conte as Blues manager next season.
In other news, Real Madrid have reportedly named their price for a midfielder Manchester United and Chelsea are interested in. A Dortmund defender had some nice things to say about the Premier League, inevitably sparking the transfer rumours.
Antonio Conte ready to chop and change in the summer
Antonio Conte’s official appointment as the Blues’ next manager has caused quite a stir in the footballing community. While Conte is likely to bring some tactical acumen to Stamford Bridge, he may also need to watch over a massive squad overhaul soon. The Blues have had a terrible year, and the Italian could bring in some fresh new faces to make sure his debut season in charge is a good one.
Conte has been linked with some of his former players, and could well be looking to get back together with some of his charges at Juventus. The likes of Andrea Ranocchia, Leonardo Bonucci and Radja Nainggollan are also reportedly on the Italian managers’ wanted list. However, for some big names to come in, some of the current squad need to be shown the way out.
According to the Independent, Conte is looking to sell star keeper Thibaut Courtois and hold on to temperamental striker Diego Costa. Both players are key members of the Chelsea team and have put in a good show this season. However, Costa has been linked with a move back to Atletico and Courtois could also be looking to return to Spain, where the Belgian made a name for himself with Los Rojiblancos too.
Subotic interested in Premier League move
Borussia Dortmund have come into their own once again this season after a forgettable campaign last time around. However, one of the players who hasn’t been particularly involved in this turn of fortunes is veteran Serbian defender Neven Subotic. The 27-year-old has stirred up rumours after he spoke in glowing terms about the Premier League.
“I’ve got to be honest and say that the English Premier League is very suitable for my way of playing football,” said the Serbian, according to transfermarkt.de.
“The intensity and physical nature of the game are very attractive for me.”
Subotic has been ruled out of the rest of the season because of a case of thrombosis, but could represent a good buy for Premier League clubs in search of a physically intimidating and experienced defender. He would also come for a decent price, considering that he isn’t a part of Thomas Tuchel’s first team plans at Dortmund.
Real Madrid want 60 million pounds for James Rodriguez
James Roriguez has long been on the wanted list of both Manchester United and Chelsea. The attacking midfielder can provide the perfect solution to both teams’ goal scoring woes, and has been on their radar since his exploits in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. However, Real Madrid were first off the mark and snapped up the Colombian for 60 million pounds from AS Monaco.
However, Real are now evidently willing to let the talented attacker go. According to the Mirror, Manchester United or Chelsea would have to pay 60 million to Real Madrid for Rodriguez. James has had a rough time at the Bernabeu this season, finding himself in and out of the first team. The Colombian could be enticed to make the move to England, and would fit in perfectly in the star studded lineups of either the Blues or the Red Devils.
However, manager Zinedine Zidane had earlier maintained that Rodriguez remains integral to his plans at Madrid. It remains to be seen if his stance will change before the 2016 summer transfer window.
