Conte plotting triple Italian raid

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte looks set to raid Italian side Fiorentina for Nenad Tomovic, Milan Badelj, and Federico Bernardeschi, according to media outlet Calciomercato (via Metro.co.uk).

The former Juventus manager spent three years in charge in Turin between 2011 and 2014, and then managed the Italian national team up until this summer’s European Championships in France, so has as good a knowledge of Serie A as anyone.

Thus, the Blues boss is targeting more Fiorentina players to add to his Chelsea squad following the arrival of Marcos Alonso in the summer.

Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.

It was a move that raised many an eyebrow up and down England, yet the former Bolton Wanderers defender has proven to be a shrewd investment from Conte, given how well he has adapted to the Italian’s new 3-4-3 system at Stamford Bridge.

And it’s his implementation of this formation that appears to have Conte interested in the aforementioned trio, given that it is the preferred system of Fiorentina boss Paulo Sousa.

29-year-old defender Tomovic has appeared 14 times for the club this season and often plays in a back three, while Bernardeschi has been used across the midfield and occasionally as a wing-back.

Croatian international Badelj has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge before, and would provide strong competition to Nemanja Matic and N’Golo Kante in the central midfield position.

Clearly, all three players would add serious strength to an already-talented Chelsea squad, but their ability to play the way Conte wants can only benefit the Blues in their quest to regain the Premier League title this season.