Chelsea have seen a 40m bid turned down for Atletico Madrid midfielder Marcos LLorente, as per Spanish reports, with Atleti instead pointing to his 120m euro release clause.
The Blues are keen to add quality to their midfield, with both N’Golo Kante and Jorginho out of contract next summer and Mateo Kovacic prone to injuries. They have shown interest in both Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong and also Real Madrid’s Casemiro, but at present both deals look difficult to complete for different reasons.
And, as per AS, Thomas Tuchel and co. have moved onto Llorente, tabling a 40m euro (£34m) for the Spaniard. However, it was immediately rejected.
“The English club put 40 million euros on the table for the Atlético midfielder”, they claimed. “The Metropolitan entity indicated that its intention is not to get rid of a vital player for Cholo”, the report added.
It seems clear that the Blues remain in the market for a midfielder this summer, despite adding youngsters Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesare Casadei to their side and being able to call on returning loanee Conor Gallagher.
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Key hours ahead for Aubameyang
Meanwhile, Chelsea continue to push for a move for Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with reports claiming that they have tabled a second bid of 27m euros after their initial 14m bid was turned down last week.
“The former Arsenal captain is reluctant to make a summer switch, having arrived at Camp Now just seven months ago at the end of the January transfer window”, they claim.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (17) of FC Barcelona celebrates scoring his team’s fifth goal with Franck Kessie (19) of FC Barcelona during the match between FC Barcelona and Pumas UNAM corresponding 2JMWPJB Barcelona,Spain.07 August,2022.
FC Barcelona v Pumas UNAM
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (17) of FC Barcelona celebrates scoring his team’s fifth goal with Franck Kessie (19) of FC Barcelona during the match between FC Barcelona and Pumas UNAM corresponding to the Joan Gamper trophy at Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona, Spain. Credit: rosdemora/Alamy Live News (Alamy Stock Photo)
However, there is a strong relationship between Tuchel and Aubameyang, with the pair having spent 3 seasons together at Borussia Dortmund. And, with Barcelona facing financial issues, should Chelsea be able to convince the forward then a deal could proceed quickly.
