Chelsea round-up: £60m deal very close; Bonucci alternative chosen; interest in Arsenal star

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Chelsea are close to breaking their club record transfer fee as Italian newspaper La Stampa say that a £60 million offer for Juventus left-back Alex Sandro has been accepted, with a contract offer already on the table. The Brazilian could soon head to Stamford Bridge and compete with Marcos Alonso for the left wing-back role.

Sandro has impressed since moving to Turin from Porto, shining in the Champions League this season as his side reached the final of the competition. He represents the kind of deals that Antonio Conte is looking to make this summer, adding quality to improve the depth of his squad.

Another player who could do just that is Virgil Van Dijk. The London Evening Standard say that the Southampton man is now their top target in defence after Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri ruled out any potential exit for Leonardo Bonucci as he said:

“He’s an important player, an extraordinary player and above all he has to understand that he’ll be the future leader of the Juventus dressing room.”

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Bonucci has been linked with the Blues since last summer and was an obvious choice, having worked with Conte at both Juventus and the Italian national team. However, it now seems that there is virtually no chance of the commanding central defender reuniting with his former boss for a third time.

In a more surprising move, the The Sun report that Chelsea are one of three clubs monitoring the situation of Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. They claim that the west London outfit have joined Liverpool and Manchester City in monitoring the 23-year-old’s contract talks, with his existing contract set to expire next summer.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has featured at wing-back, further forward on the wing and in midfield for Arsenal over the past year or so and so could represent a flexible option for Conte. At £25 million, he would not come cheaply considering his contractual circumstances, but he could be a sound investment for the future.

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