Chelsea
Agent Confirms Chelsea Want To Sign £20m-Rated Striker
Chelsea are interested in signing Roma striker Mattia Destro but there is no truth in a possible swap deal with Fernando Torres, according to the player’s agent
The summer transfer window is now reaching its climax and managers are working hard to make some last minute additions to their squad, so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip. Today, Chelsea are keen on Roma’s Mattia Destro.
Chelsea are interested in signing Roma striker Mattia Destro but there is no truth in a possible swap deal involving Fernando Torres, according to the Italian player’s agent.
Destro has emerged as one of the most highly-rated forward’s in Italian football after an excellent season that saw him end up as Roma’s highest scorer with 13 league goals last year, which helped the club finish second behind eventual champions Juventus.
Speculation earlier in the week suggested that Roma director Walter Sabatini and general manager Mauro Baldissoni had travelled to London to hold talks with Chelsea about a potential swap deal involving Destro and Blues misfit Fernando Torres.
The report claimed that Roma value the 23-year-old at around £20m and are open to the idea of a player-plus-cash exchange as long as Torres agreed to take a cut on his current £180,000-a-week wages.
However, while Destro’s agent, Renzo Contratto, has confirmed Chelsea’s interest in signing the Italian international, he has poured cold water over the idea of a swap deal involving Torres. Contratto is quoted as saying by Sky Sports News.
“It’s true that Chelsea are interested in Mattia, but the reports regarding a swap deal have no foundation, it’s all speculation.”
So it looks like Jose Mourinho is keen on adding to his strike-force but the Blues will have their work cut out in trying to persuade Destro to make the switch to Stamford Bridge as Contratto went on to say that the player wants to remain at Roma.
“Roma don’t want to sell Mattia and Mattia prefers to remain at Roma.”
Destro has only been at Roma for two years following his move from Genoa in 2012 so it would have been a surprise had the Serie A club been open to letting him go before he had fulfilled his huge potential.
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And it would have been even more of a shock had they agreed to swap him for an ageing out-of-form Torres, who has endured a disastrous stint in west London, but it appears the youngster is content in Italy and won’t be going anywhere, so Mourinho is going to have to look elsewhere if he wants to bring in another forward before the window slams shut.
