Chelsea Transfer News: Agent Confirms Blues Interest In £30m Ace

The agent of Palermo star Josip Ilicic has confirmed Chelsea are interested in signing him, but the Blues face stiff competition from Inter Milan and Juventus.

Chelsea have been strongly linked with the Slovenian midfielder in recent weeks, and it was thought Palermo had slapped a £30m price tag on the players head to deter any potential suitors.

The players agent, Amir Ruznic, has confirmed that Chelsea, as well as Serie A clubs Inter Milan and Juventus, are tracking the talented 23-year-old while also revealing Ilicic has a buy-out clause in his contract. Ruznic told fcinter1908.it:

“I know that Inter Milan like Ilicic, as do Juventus and Chelsea, but so far no one has come forward with an offer to me.

“Josip recently extended his contract with Palermo until 2016, but there is a buy-out clause in his contract. However, I cannot say how much it is.”

However, Chelsea’s hopes of signing the midfielder have been dealt a blow as Ruznic went on to say he’s unlikely to leave in January and when he does decide to move on, Ilicic would like to remain in Italy:

“It’s obvious that if someone pays the clause, everything is possible. But I think he will remain in Palermo until June at least.

“(Palermo’s owner, Maurizio) Zamparini has made clear that Ilicic will not move away in January and I think it is the best solution for the guy. It is risky to change teams at mid-season.”

“Josip has always said that when he eventually leaves Palermo, he’ll want to stay in Italy.”