Adding depth to his Chelsea squad was likely a priority for Antonio Conte this past summer, and it’s reported that the club made a huge offer for a top target.
The Italian tactician welcomed Alvaro Morata, Antonio Rudiger, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Davide Zappacosta and Danny Drinkwater to his squad over the summer transfer market, with the view of building a squad capable of defending their Premier League title and making an impression on their return to Europe.
One area that he wasn’t able to address was the left wing-back role, with Marcos Alonso likely to carry a heavy load this season in terms of playing most games, with the Spaniard featuring in every league and Champions League game so far.
However, it wasn’t without trying that Chelsea ended up empty-handed in that position, as Calciomercato report that they bid up to a stunning €70m for Juventus ace Alex Sandro.
The Brazilian has established himself as a key figure under Massimiliano Allegri, and after selling Leonardo Bonucci and Dani Alves this past summer, they understandably didn’t want to lose another key defensive piece and so rejected the sizeable bid from Chelsea, as per the report.
It’s added that a €7m-a-year contract plus bonuses was on the table for Sandro if he opted to move to west London, but Juve stepped in and ensured that he went nowhere.
It remains to be seen whether or not that comes back to hurt Conte and Chelsea, as he’ll have to rotate when possible and give Alonso a rest. Another option could be that the Blues act in January to give themselves a mid-season boost with additional quality in the squad.