Chelsea round-up: Talks held over superstar; midfielder set for medical; conflicting Costa reports

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In a surprise news story, Spanish newspaper Marca report that Chelsea are holding talks with Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang over a potential €70 million move to Stamford Bridge. They claim that Antonio Conte sees the Gabon international as an alternative to Romelu Lukaku, with Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata also an option.

The 28-year-old is expected to leave the Bundesliga this summer after scoring 40 goals in 46 games last season and could be an attractive proposition for the Blues given his prolific track record. That said, Morata may be a better match to Chelsea’s needs and may also be easier to bring to west London.

In more positive news, Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko is set for a medical as he comes close to agreeing a move to Chelsea, say Sky Sports. The medical is likely to take place this week with a hope that the deal can be tied up in time for the French international to join the squad on their pre-season trip to Singapore.

The deal is expected to see the 22-year-old join the club in exchange for a £35 million to £40 million fee which has long been speculated about throughout the summer. However, these reports indicate that the delay in Bakayoko taking a medical for his potential new club has been down to him having surgery on a knee injury at the tail end of last season.

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In more speculation, the Telegraph say that Diego Costa has certainly played his last game for the club, as Antonio Conte has ruled out any kind of return for the Spanish international. Costa has been strongly linked with a return to Atletico Madrid and could soon leave the club having not been involved in pre-season training to date.

On a completely different note, the Daily Star say that Costa could return to the fold and is prepared to rebuild his relationship with Conte in order to give him a shot at returning to the Chelsea team. With such opposing rumours circulating, it is hard to predict what will happen next in the saga of this controversial forward.

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