The January transfer window is in full swing and so the clubs are working very hard, trying everything possible to strengthen their squads for the second half of the season and put deals in place for the summer. Chelsea are desperate to bolster their attacking options for the rest of the campaign and have been linked with a host of strikers already this month.
Andy Carroll, Peter Crouch, Ashley Barnes and Islam Slimani are just some of the surprise targets rumoured to be wanted by Antonio Conte. But Edin Dzeko is the player who is close to joining Stamford Bridge, according to various reports.
The Daily Mirror report that Dzeko’s agent is in London to finalise terms after Chelsea agreed to a £50m deal with AS Roma to buy the striker and his teammate Emerson Palmieri. The Premier League champions have agreed to a double deal that will also see £20m-rated full-back Emerson Palmieri head to Stamford Bridge this month.
Conte has been desperate to sign a backup striker for summer signing Alvaro Morata, who has struggled for form recently. Michy Batshuayi has found game time hard to come by under the Italian.
Dzeko has reservations about being a backup to Morata but is being offered assurances about playing time and the Blues are confident the deal will get done.
The report adds that Roma have agreed to let him go and Chelsea have tabled a contract worth £120,000-a-week. The ex-Manchester City striker is valued at around £30m in the deal, with the Italian club potentially getting around £10m in add-ons, based on appearances and success.
Meanwhile, Conte has also been looking for a new left-back and 23-year-old Emerson looks set to follow Dzeko after the Blues failed to land Juventus star Alex Sandro at the start of the season. Palmieri will offer competition for Marcos Alonso in the left wing-back role if he completes his proposed move to Chelsea.
According to the Evening Standard, the Brazilian is already in London in order to undergo a medical and discuss personal terms. We’ll have to wait to see whether Chelsea manage to get this double deal over the line.