Former Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri is reportedly keen on sending Lazio star Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to Stamford Bridge in exchange for two of Thomas Tuchel's players.
Italian outlet Il Messaggero, via The Express, says there is 'turmoil' at Lazio and one of the main issues is Milinkovic-Savic's desire to leave. The player's agent, former Chelsea striker Mateja Kezman, has reiterated to Lazio that his client is determined to move on from the Serie A outfit.
The report states that Sarri has attempted to push Milikovic-Savic to his old club and is keen to explore a swap deal proposal with Chelsea involving Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Emerson Palmieri.
READ MORE: Todd Boehly told to make £59m Chelsea transfer decision that narrows Man City and Liverpool gap
The Blues do need midfielders, especially considering the long-term futures of Jorginho and N'Golo Kante remain undecided. Both are out of contract next summer and there have been no talks to extend their respective stays at Stamford Bridge. It's why if a sizeable offer arrives for either player, Chelsea will not dismiss it and there's ultimately room to negotiate, football.london understands.
football.london has also been told there is genuine interest from Serie A clubs in a permanent deal for Loftus-Cheek this summer, but any transfer would require the midfielder to take a cut on his £150,000-a-week salary. The 26-year-old is also understood to be content at Chelsea and happy with his role under Tuchel.
In terms of a central midfield signing, the Blues had put in years of work with Aurelien Tchouameni – stretching back to his time at Bordeaux – but were unable to progress a deal for the French midfielder after Roman Abramovich was sanctioned and that allowed Real Madrid to move ahead and seal a deal.
Declan Rice remains a Chelsea target and Tuchel is a huge admirer of the West Ham midfielder but David Moyes has consistently stated that it would take a bid of around £150million for the Hammers to sell the England star. Other names, including Milikovic-Savic, have been linked, but negotiations over a potential move haven't started yet.
It'll ultimately be interesting to see if anything develops in the coming weeks, but it's still just speculation as things stand.
READ NEXT:
West Ham answer £60m Chelsea transfer question as Thomas Tuchel plots clever Declan Rice swoop
Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: All the latest updates and rumours from Stamford Bridge
Full Chelsea Premier League fixture list for 2022/23
How Trent Alexander-Arnold is helping Raheem Sterling complete Chelsea transfer with £4.5m trick
Todd Boehly can gift Thomas Tuchel perfect Chelsea attack with dream Cristiano Ronaldo transfer
