Chelsea owner Roman Abramovic believes he is closing in on Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone after the Spanish giants were slapped with a two-window transfer ban this week, the Daily Mirror reports.
Both Atletico and Real Madrid have been ruled out from signing any players for the next two windows after the current one due to irregularities with signing young players and Abramovic believes that that will push the Argentine closer to the patch to the Premier League.
With Pep Guardiola reportedly heading for Manchester City, Simeone has emerged as the Blues’ first choice to succeed Jose Mourinho on a long term basis.
However, Chelsea will also know that Atletico’s ban will impact the way they want to operate in the transfer market.
Antoine Griezmann has been a prime target for the Stamford Bridge outfit, but the ban will now mean that the La Liga side will be more determined than ever to keep hold of him.
It will also likely mean that Diego Costa, who had been linked with a return to the Spanish capital, will see that possibility fall away.
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