Chelsea line up January raid for four-time league champion

Chelsea are lining up a January swoop for Argentina international star Javier Pastore, according to GFFN (French publication).

The Premier League side, who visit Southampton in the English top-flight on Sunday afternoon, have been linked with luring the central midfielder away from Paris Saint-Germain in the New Year period.

Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.

The 27-year-old, who has 27 international caps for his country, has scored one goal and provided two assists in six appearances in all competitions for the defending Ligue 1 champions so far this season.

Pastore, who arrived at the Parc des Princes from Italian outfit Palermo back in 2011 following his reported €42m move, is not currently a key part of boss Unai Emery’s plans in the French capital due to the player’s injury problems.

However, the report suggests Blues manager Antonio Conte is ready to gamble on Pastore, if he can fully recover, as the likes of Pedro, Willian and Oscar have failed to deliver that creative spark in the midfield that Chelsea require to dominate the Premier League.