Chelsea round-up: First signing imminent; £48 million bid prepared; club could be reported

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The Telegraph report that talks with Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko are at an advanced stage and the French international could head to London early next week in order to complete a deal. In a switch believed to be worth £35 million, Chelsea hope to start their summer spending with an exciting signing.

Talks with the 22-year-old have progressed quickly this week and it now looks unlikely that the agreement will see striker Michy Batshuayi move the other way. Chelsea do not want the Belgian to leave until another striker is bought. The deal could still have an impact on the current squad though, increasing doubt over the futures of Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas.

Another move may not be too far behind either, according to Italian source Calciomercato, who report that a £48 million bid for Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci is being prepared. The deal would see the 30-year-old net as much as £125,000 per week using the package currently being put together by Chelada transfer bosses.

Such an offer would be around £10 million less than the bid from Manchester City which the Turin outfit rejected last summer. As a result, it seems unlikely that this reported initial package will be accepted by Antonio Conte’s former club, but it could open talks over an agreement.

In less positive news, a former target could come back to haunt Chelsea if reports from the Yahoo Sport are accurate. They claim that Southampton could now report the Blues for their approach to central defender Virgil van Dijk, which they believe to be illegal, before a deal fell apart.

Liverpool were reported by the south coast club in similar circumstances earlier this week and were forced to withdraw the interest alongside an official apology. Potential punishments range from a hefty fine to the worst case scenario of a transfer Ben for the club.

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