Chelsea
Chelsea Close In On First Summer Signing With £8m Deal For Swiss International
New Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is closing in on making his first signing of the summer with Stephan Lichtsteiner set to arrive in an £8m deal from Juventus
The opening of the summer transfer window is fast approaching so we’ll bring you all the latest transfer rumours and gossip from around the globe. Today, Chelsea close in on the signing of Stephan Lichtsteiner.
New Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is closing in on making his first signing of the summer with Stephan Lichtsteiner tipped to arrive in an £8m deal from Juventus, according to the Express.
Conte isn’t due to officially take over at Stamford Bridge until he fulfills his duties with the Italian national team at this summers European Championship finals but it looks like he’s already thinking ahead to life in West London.
That’s because the Express are citing a report coming from Swiss outlet Blick that claims Juventus right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner is close to making a move to Chelsea this summer.
Conte knows Lichtsteiner well from their time together in Turin and the newspaper suggests that the Swiss international full-back is ready to snub interest from Paris Saint-Germain in order to be reunited with the 46-year-old in England.
Lichtsteiner has just one year remaining on his current deal and with Dani Alves expected to arrive at Juventus from Barcelona, the 32-year-old is going to be surplus to requirements next season.
Due to his age and the fact he has just 12 months left on his contract, the Express claim that Chelsea could snap Lichtsteiner up for just £8million as Juve won’t want to lose him for nothing next summer.
READ MORE –> Chelsea transfer news
Lichtsteiner’s arrival would cast doubt over the future of Branislav Ivanovic after the Serb endured an indifferent season at right-back for Chelsea. The 32-year-old was more impressive when he moved in to the middle of defence last season so perhaps Conte sees his future at centre-back with Lichtsteiner coming in as the new right-back.
Conte is expected to be busy in the market rebuilding the Chelsea squad after a disastrous campaign that saw them finish tenth in the Premier League table so Lichtsteiner’s arrival should be the first of many at Stamford Bridge.
