Chelsea are reportedly considering a swoop for Barcelona star Sergi Roberto, but will have to pay £37.5m to activate a release clause in his contract.
The 25-year-old has established himself as an important part of the Barca squad in recent years, although he has had to play out of position too to fill roles needed by the team.
While he’s expected to return to a more natural role in midfield this coming season, he could now be given the opportunity of a prominent spot at Chelsea instead.
According to Sport journalist Jose Luis Carazo, as seen in the tweet below, the Premier League champions are willing to pay his £37.5m release clause to take him to Stamford Bridge, with Antonio Conte looking for an alternative having missed out on Danilo to Manchester City.
El Chelsea está dispuesto a fichar a Sergi Roberto e incluso a pagar su cláusula de rescisión que asciende a 40 millones.
— José Luis Carazo (@joseluiscarazo) July 24, 2017
Conte will be fully aware of the need to add quality and depth to his squad this summer as they return to the Champions League, and the full-back positions in particular need addressing as Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses won’t be able to play every single game.
Bringing in Antonio Rudiger will help as the German international offers versatility, but there are likely to be further additions between now and the start of the season for Chelsea.
Roberto has made no secret of his desire to play in midfield on a regular basis, and so that could be a deal-breaker for Chelsea and Conte if they don’t see him in that position.
It remains to be seen if Conte gets his target, but having already made four key signings this summer, the Italian tactician will surely be adding more new faces either way.