Antonio Conte will have to pay £42m to sign Leonardo Bonucci from Juventus.
According to a report in The Sun the defender is likely to be available for transfer at the end of the season with Manchester City also expected to be interested.
Bonucci has recently fallen foul of Juve boss Max Allegri and was dropped from the squad for last week’s Champions League tie against Porto.
The 29-year-old was a major part of Conte’s success at Juventus and would fit easily into the three man defence that the Italian wants to use at Stamford Bridge.
With Southampton claiming that Virgil van Dijk isn’t for sale even at £50m Conte will have no problem switching his interest to Turin where Bonucci is tried and tested at the highest level.
Juventus believe that they can replace Bonucci with players coming through the ranks and are prepared to cash in to free up space in their side.