Chelsea midfield pair Nemanja Matic and Oscar have been strongly linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge this close season, with Gianluca Di Marzio now claiming that both could be heading to Serie A with Juventus and Inter Milan reportedly looking into the possibility of signing the respective players.
With Paul Pogba’s proposed world record transfer to Manchester United edging ever closer, Juventus are now said to be out for a replacement midfielder, with Chelsea’s Matic near the top of the list. The report claims that Juve are waiting for the Serbian to sit down with Chelsea officials to discuss his future, with the Serie A side confident that the player will express a desire to leave West London.
New manager Antonio Conte has recently praised the 28-year-old, saying that he could once again be “one of the best in the world” under his tutelage. This indicates that a bid from Juventus for Matic would not be well received, with a sizeable fee surely needed to prise the player away from his new boss, despite reports of his wish to leave.
A bid for Oscar, meanwhile, will reportedly be more welcome, with reports claiming that the Brazilian is not off the market as was previously thought, with Juventus’ rivals Inter Milan said to be eyeing up the 24-year-old.
The Evening Standard claim that Conte has already sanctioned a possible deal, with Oscar not part of the Blues’ 3-2 preseason defeat to Real Madrid on the weekend, despite being a regular in the first-team since his arrival at the club in 2012. A rumoured price tag of £30m is being bandied about, with the Standard also saying Oscar’s work ethic has not impressed the new Chelsea boss.
The 2014/15 Premier League champions have already signed Leicester City midfielder N’Golo Kante for £30m, seemingly a replacement for the inconsistent Matic, while it remains to be seen whether the potential departure of Oscar would see Chelsea dip back into the market for a big name replacement.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
