Chelsea target offered £6m-a-year deal to leave Southampton

Italy international forward Graziano Pelle has reportedly been offered a contract worth £125,000-a-week to join a Chinese Super League outfit this summer, according to the Mirror.

The 30-year-old, who has 17 international caps for his country and starred for Italy at the EURO 2016 Championships after helping the Azzurri reach the quarter-finals, scored 14 goals and assisted seven further strikes in 36 appearances in all competitions for the Saints last season.

Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.

Pelle, who cost the Premier League side £8m back in July 2014 following his switch from Feyenoord, is said to have received an offer from Shandong Luneng – where the forward could earn £6m-a-year.

The report suggests that a £13m deal is in the pipeline, meaning the Saints would make a £5m profit on the fee they paid for the striker’s services two years ago.

Pelle; who is also said to be attracting interest from Premier League rivals Chelsea, plus Serie A duo Juventus and Lazio, has just one year remaining on his current deal at St Mary’s.