Chelsea round-up: Alexis Sanchez wants move; Southampton’s Cedric Soares targeted; Antonio Conte confident of title

Add as preferred source on Google

In what would be a sensational move, the Telegraph report that Alexis Sanchez is open to the idea of a move across London to join Chelsea from Arsenal and would be happy to make the switch. Arsenal would be hugely reluctant to allow him to leave to go anywhere, especially their rivals, but could be left powerless if contract talks fail to amount to anything.

Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus are also being linked, with Chinese clubs mentioned in some reports, but the Chilean would prefer to stay in London, which has given the Blues a massive boost in their potential summer pursuit of the winger , who has grown frustrated at the Emirates.

The Evening Standard claim that another potential addition could be Cedric Soares as he becomes the third Southampton defender to be linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, with central defender Virgil Van Dijk also rumoured to be a target and former Chelsea man Ryan Bertrand another potential addition.

The Portugal international has impressed since joining the club for £4.7 million nearly two years ago and is now attracting attention from the likes of Barcelona as well, despite the fact he committed to the Saints by signing a four-year deal last summer. The 25-year-old’s resolve could still be tested with a summer bid, though.

Antonio Conte has, for seemingly the first time, expressed his confidence in his squad to see out their campaign and secure the Premier League title as he reacted to defeat against Crystal Palace by saying, as quoted by Sky Sports:

“It’s a very important part of the season for many teams, not only us. We have to continue working very hard in the same way, prepare in the right way for every game and keep the concentration. But at this point I’m pleased because I’m always seeing a great commitment by my players. It can happen you can lose a game. I think we didn’t deserve to lose the game against Crystal Palace but football is wonderful also for this type of result. It’s normal that with 27 points available, anything can happen in the league, but we are in a really good position.”

The Italian’s side have been hugely impressive of late and he will be hoping that the shock loss to Sam Allardyce’s team was little more than a blip, with a return to form vital against Manchester City on Wednesday night.

Featured Image: All rights reserved by Harriet Lander.