Antonio Conte keen to land another striker as Chelsea ace looks for exit

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Incoming Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is plotting big changes to his attacking options with Gonzalo Higuain next on his agenda.

The Premier League giants confirmed the signing of Michy Batshuayi on Sunday, but that isn’t likely to be the last of their transfer dealings with Conte expected to start work at Stamford Bridge next week after Italy were eliminated from Euro 2016 on Saturday night.

According to AS, Higuain is the second target for Chelsea this summer, which in turn will allow Diego Costa to leave and secure a return to the Spanish capital.

The Spanish media outlet notes that Argentine forward has opted against signing a renewal with Napoli, and although his current deal keeps him with the Partenopei until 2018, he has been linked with an exit ahead of next season.

Atletico Madrid have also been linked with a move for Higuain, as claimed in the report, but due to the fact that Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has insisted that he wants any interested club to meet the player’s €94m release clause, they have opted not to pursue him.

In turn, they have switched their focus to a familiar face, as it’s added by AS that Costa has failed to adapt to life in London and is keen on returning to Atleti this summer, a wish that he has expressed on several occasions and has spurred the La Liga giants into action.

Further, AS insist that Diego Simeone is keen on the idea given that he is fully aware of what the Spanish international is able to offer his team, and would welcome the opportunity to work with him again.

All transfers will be on hold until Conte arrives in west London though, as the Italian tactician has big decisions to make ahead of his first campaign in England.

The signing of Batshuayi was a statement in itself, but more signings are expected and that in turn could see some of the influential figures in Chelsea’s current squad move on if Conte has other individuals in mind.

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