According to The Metro, Chelsea have been given a boost in their attempts to sign Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti this summer with the player’s agent admitting that he could be tempted by a move away from the French capital.
Blues manager Antonio Conte is looking to bring in a new central midfielder before the start of next season with the futures of Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas far from certain, and he has been linked with the Italy international as well as the likes of Monaco’s Tiemoue Bakayoko.
And the Italian boss may have been given the biggest hint that the 24-year-old could be ready for a move to Stamford Bridge with his agent saying he could be ready to leave PSG and play for a team that wins trophies with the Ligue 1 outfit losing out to Monaco in the title race.
In an interview with Tuttosport, via Football Italia, his agent Donato Di Campli said: “There’s the will of PSG to keep him at all costs.
“Now it’s clear: money isn’t enough. Appeal is also needed, and in the last four or five years, the French club haven’t done enough to improve in that regard.
“Juventus are much more attractive because champions are attracted to winning teams.”
Even though PSG want to keep him, the admission will certainly give Conte hope that he could tempt the midfielder to move to the Premier League.
Here are three reasons Chelsea must step up their bid for Verratti…
Quality
The 24-year-old is more of a forward-thinking midfielder than someone like N’Golo Kante, and the duo could prove to be a brilliant – if small – partnership in the middle of the park next season if Chelsea signed the Italian.
Verratti scored three goals and provided a further eight assists in all competitions for PSG this term and as well as loving a tackle, he is also great at running the ball and completed 58 of the 66 take-ons he attempted in Ligue 1.
Statement of intent
There is no doubt that after five impressive seasons with PSG that Verratti is rated as one of the best central midfielders in Europe right now, and with the likes of Juventus, Barcelona and Real Madrid linked with the 24-year-old, it would be a huge statement of intent by Chelsea if they could bring him to Stamford Bridge this summer.
Having worked with the Italian during his time in charge of the national team, there is no reason why Conte can’t compete with some of Europe’s biggest clubs and convince him to move to London.
Price tag
According to reports in The Sun last month, Antonio Conte was said to be lining up a £55m bid for Verratti and if he could sign the unsettled Italian midfielder for that amount this summer, it would be a bit of a no-brainer.
With another target Tieumoue Bakayoko set to cost around £42m despite only really having one season as a regular for Monaco, Chelsea may feel they are getting better value for money if they pay more for a player that has shown his quality at PSG over the course of the last five seasons.
Do you agree, Chelsea fans? Let us know below.