Chelsea are reportedly in talks to sign Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. According to the Italian outlet CalcioNews24 (via Football.London), the Blues are in talks with the Serie A club about several deals.
According to reports, the 27-year-old Serbian is valued at £68 million, with the Blues keen to use their own players in exchange to reduce the cost of the transfer.
The Blues are said to be willing to trade Emerson Palmieri or Ruben Loftus-Cheek for Milinkovic-Savic (plus cash). Lazio, on the other hand, are said to be uninterested in any swap deals and to demand full payment for Milinkovic-Savic.
Is Milinkovic-Savic required by Chelsea?
Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho, N'Golo Kante, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are the Blues' current options for the two-man midfield pivot but they could sign one or two players to make their midfield solid.
Returning players such as Billy Gilmour (from Norwich City) and the excellent Conor Gallagher, who had a breakout season on loan with Crystal Palace, will also be available.
This means that Thomas Tuchel's team is well-stocked in midfield heading into the new season.
While Jorginho and Kante will need to be replaced in the coming years, the Blues may be better off addressing other areas of their squad during the summer transfer window.
A difficult summer for the Blues?
Chelsea's ownership changed at the end of May. Todd Boehly and his consortium officially took over last month and spent the first few weeks getting to know the club's situation.
They spent the next few days adjusting to the trade and have since made a bold move to clean the house at the boardroom level. Boehly has been appointed as the club's interim Sporting Director and CEO.
All of the upheaval at the top has put the Blues behind schedule in terms of transfers. Chelsea have yet to sign a single summer target despite being linked with several.
The Blues' defense requires the most work, as Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger are set to leave on free transfers.
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