Chelsea round-up: Abramovich rejects bidding war; Aubameyang latest; Palace forward liked by Conte

Add as preferred source on Google

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has endured a frustrating summer so far this year, signing only two of his targets to date in Willy Caballero and Tiemoue Bakayoko, and the Daily Star say that he could be in line for even more frustration. Reports suggest that owner Roman Abramovich is not prepared to enter into a bidding war over Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata.

The Spanish forward is also attracting attention from Italian giants AC Milan, who are spending heavily this summer. Abramovich does not want to engage in an auction which could see his value rocket, as the Blues desperately look for a new striker to lead the front line at Stamford Bridge.

It may soon mean that they are left with few options, though, particularly as Sky Sports claim that another target, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, will not leave Borussia Dortmund this summer. The Bundesliga club now expect their star man to remain with them for at least one more year.

The Gabon international had been strongly linked over the past few days or so as Conte considers his options, having previously missed out on then-Everton man Romelu Lukaku ahead of his switch to Manchester United. This news could now force Conte to look even further down his list of targets.

That could mean that he casts his attention onto another striker who is already in London, as the Telegraph say that Crystal Palace’s Christian Benteke may be a surprise option. The Belgian international plays alongside Michy Batshuayi for the national side and is thought to be admired by Conte for his physicality and aerial strength.

Whether that interest and admiration is enough to result in Chelsea making an official move for the former Liverpool man remains to be seen, but the list of strikers who Chelsea have missed out on this summer is only continuing to grow.