Chelsea transfer news: Club hero finalising exit, talks for £86m-rated striker as bid for defender rejected

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It’s transfer deadline day and in turn it’s only fitting that Chelsea are being linked with various deals ahead of the end of the window on Tuesday night.

One deal that looks set to be completed is the exit of veteran defender Branislav Ivanovic, with The Sun reporting that the Chelsea stalwart has arrived in Russia to complete his move to Zenit St Petersburg.

The Serbian international has been a loyal servant to the club for almost a decade, but having lost his place in the line-up under Antonio Conte in his preferred 3-4-3, a departure has looked likely for some time.

It’s been confirmed in the report that he hasn’t travelled with his Chelsea teammates to Liverpool for their Premier League clash on Tuesday night, and instead he will secure his move to Zenit instead.

Bid rejected for Kolasinac

Meanwhile, Schalke have confirmed that left wing-back Sead Kolasinac will not be moving to Chelsea as they have dismissed an approach from the Blues, as reported by WAZ.

The 23-year-old will be a free agent in the summer, but it appears as though his current employers have no intention of letting him leave for Stamford Bridge.

While Chelsea will be pushing to reclaim the Premier League title this season, it’s fairly certain that they will at least qualify for the Champions League next year.

In turn, Conte needs to start thinking about adding quality and depth to his squad, and with cover for Marcos Alonso required, Kolasinac could have been the ideal man to fill the void.

However, it appears as though Chelsea will be left disappointed and must look elsewhere prior to the deadline if it’s one of their main priorities.

Chelsea make move for Belotti

Elsewhere, it has been noted by The Sun that Chelsea director Michael Emenalo has flown out to Italy to discuss a possible deal for Torino striker Andrea Belotti.

The Italian international has established himself as a huge star for the future with his goalscoring exploits for both the Granata and Italy, with the 23-year-old bagging 16 goals in 22 games in all competitions so far this season.

Reports in Italy claim that Chelsea are attempting to push themselves to the front of the queue for the prolific forward, who signed a new deal last year which included an £86m release clause, as noted in the report from the Sun.

If an agreement is reached, it would undoubtedly be the biggest shock and most stunning move of the January transfer window.

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