Chelsea round-up: Favourites for Real Madrid ace; midfielder demands move; Conte to apologise

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Madrid based newspaper AS claim that Chelsea have emerged as shock favourites in the race to sign Colombian midfielder James Rodriguez. The playmaker is expected to leave the Spanish capital this summer after struggling for game time under Zinedine Zidane, with the likes of Gareth Bale, Isco and Marco Asensio all preferred.

The reports believe that Chelsea looked to Rodriguez in January when Brazilian midfielder Oscar moved to China, but decided against a move. Now, six months on, he could finally complete a move to Stamford Bridge.

Another player who could join him is midfielder Marco Verratti as French newspaper L’Equipe claim that the Italian took advantage of a meeting with club bosses to inform them that he wants to leave the club after a disappointing season in Paris. Boss Unai Emery’s side failed to win Ligue Un and were famously knocked out of the Champions League by Barcelona.

Antonio Conte may wish to reinforce his midfield with additions ahead of next season as he looks set to mount a Champions League challenge as well as a Premier League title defence. Having worked with Verratti for the Italian national team previously, he could be an attractive option for the manager.

If Chelsea are to move for the midfielder, it could be a costly exercise. That may be why manager Antonio Conte is set to apologise to bosses over his text to Diego Costa, say The Sun, as it’s reported that it sparked the striker to publicly reveal that he was not wanted which could knock as much as £10 million off his value.

It’s likely that he will be replaced by Romelu Lukaku with AC Milan among the clubs considering a move for the Spanish striker as he seeks an exit.

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