Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing Inter Milan captain Mauro Icardi during the January transfer window.
The Sun claims that Blues boss Antonio Conte is desperate to land the 24-year-old in order to reinforce his attacking options.
The newspaper reports that the Premier League champions would have to splash the cash and spend around £100million to snap up Icardi, making him the most expensive player in English top-flight history.
Good move for Chelsea?
With regards to the player’s ability, Icardi certainly has all the attributes to deliver the goods in the Premier League as he will not be phased with the physical side of the game.
The Argentine has enjoyed a sensational in front of goal start to the season, notching 11 goals in only 12 Serie A appearances.
This should not be seen as a surprise as the striker has finished as Inter’s top goalscorer in all competitions for three consecutive seasons – his best tally coming in the 2014-15 campaign with 27 goals.
There is no doubt that the forward could come to the Premier League and replicate his form in front of goal but Chelsea might not be the right club for him as they only play one striker.
The report claims that Conte is looking for Icardi to partner summer signing Alvaro Morata up top but this would require a change to their successful 3-4-3 formation.
Whether the Italian would be willing to alter his preferred tactics to accommodate just one player remains to be seen, but when you are looking to spend £100million, Conte will have to weigh up his options.
This Is Futbol rating 7/10
Likely to happen?
The Blues are unlikely to land their transfer target in January as the report underlines Inter’s unwillingness to offload their goalscoring machine halfway through the campaign.
It is reported that Icardi is desperate to complete to move to La Liga and Champions League winners Real Madrid which means that Chelsea will need to do more than just convince the club to acquire his services.
The potential deal depends on how Chelsea fare over the festive period and if they find themselves further behind current table toppers Manchester City, they might feel the need to react and splash the cash on Icardi.
This Is Futbol rating 7/10