Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is ready to dip into his deep pockets again in order to give Antonio Conte the kind of players that will make the club a Premier League and European force again. After a sometimes-good, sometimes-disappointing start to the season, it has become clear that changes are needed if Chelsea are to compete consistently at the top of the table.
Having realised that, Abramovich is ready to fund Conte as the Italian looks to bring in quality players.
Two names that are being considered are Leonard Bonucci of Juventus and Antoine Griezmann of Atletico Madrid. Both are stars at their clubs, with Chelsea, and Manchester City, reportedly failing in bids to sign Bonucci from Juventus in the last transfer window.
Juve have made it clear that Bonucci is not for sale, but, according to the Daily Telegraph, Chelsea are ready to make a world record offer for the defender in January. The report says, the Blues are willing to pay a fee in excess of £60m, which would be a world record for a defender, in order to tempt Juventus to sell the Italy international.
Chelsea have had major problems in defence this season, with the manner in which Arsenal tore them apart in a Premier League game recently a cause for worry. Conte knows he needs defenders equipped to play his way if Chelsea are to recover from an iffy start, and with Bonucci having played for the Blues manager with Italy and Juventus, the move would certainly make sense.
The only question remains if Juventus will sell, particularly in January.
Another difficult signing will be that of Griezmann, who only recently signed a new contract with Atletico Madrid. However, that contract also has a release clause of €100m (£88m). The report claims Chelsea would be willing to pay the entire amount if they can convince Griezmann his future lies in the Premier League with them.
Griezmann, who has also been linked with the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal, has admitted he would consider a move to England in the future, but that move is unlikely to happen anytime before next summer, considering Atletico are challenging for the La Liga and Champions League crowns this year.
