Chelsea transfer news live – follow below for updates on breaking news and latest gossip
09:00: In case you missed it last night…
Gary Cahill has come out and revealed he could have been lining up for Arsenal today – because he was close to joining them in 2011 from Bolton.
Cahill said: “It was close. The move broke down on the fee, nothing to do with me.
“It never got down to whether or not I wanted to go there, it was between the two clubs. They showed interest, but they couldn’t agree a fee.
“It seemed like it went on forever, there was speculation for about a year and a half. I thought it would never happen. It was not distracting on the pitch, but personally.
“I had a fantastic time at Bolton, but as a player when you hear the big clubs are sniffing, you want to achieve as much as you can.”
8:10: Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole believes Chelsea can retain the Premier League title next season if they sign Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero or Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez.
He told Goal: “I’d go, ‘Go get me Aguero or Sanchez or both, and I want no one else,’ and I can guarantee you they’ll win the league next year.
“The thing is everything is in place.
“Everyone keeps talking to me about, ‘Oh, they need to replace Moses or Alonso’. They don’t, they’ve been brilliant. You don’t need to replace them.
“There’s enough young players as well in the academy that can come.
“They just need an extra bit. What [Sir Alex Ferguson] did well over the years is reignite with one or two big players.”
7:40: Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will reportedly hand Antonio Conte a £200million transfer budget to strengthen his squad this summer.
That is according to The Telegraph, who claim Everton striker Romelu Lukaku, Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk and Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko are on Conte’s shortlist.
The Blues manager will also be in the market for a new full-back, a winger and a replacement back-up goalkeeper for Bournemouth-bound Asmir Begovic.
7:00: Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has reportedly made Everton striker Romelu Lukaku his priority target this summer.
The Blues have also been linked with Real Madrid forward Alvaro Morata, but Spanish outlet Marca claim Conte prefers Lukaku.
Lukaku’s Premier League experience is said to interest Conte, while the Belgium international would also boost their homegrown quota.
Chelsea signed Lukaku, who has scored 104 goals on loan at West Brom and now at Everton, in 2011 but the 23-year-old powerhouse failed to break into the first team.
