Antonio Conte is embarking on his first season in charge of Chelsea, and he’s made a decent start to his tenure at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues won their first three games of the Premier League season and, although they suffered defeats at the hands of Liverpool and Arsenal, they got back to winning ways at Hull last weekend.
It means that Conte’s side sit seventh over the international break, but they are already five points behind leaders Manchester City.
Subsequently, the Italian is looking to reinforce his Chelsea squad in a bid to get their title challenge back on track when the transfer window opens in January.
The Blues have been linked with a number of high-profile names in the last few weeks, but here are THREE players that Conte could land in the New Year…
Leonardo Bonucci
Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.
47-year-old Conte has been given the green light by Roman Abramovich to go out and buy Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci, who has repeatedly been linked with the Blues.
The Chelsea owner is willing to break the world-record for a defender, currently standing at the £50 million the Blues received from Paris Saint-Germain for David Luiz, to bring the Italian international to Stamford Bridge as Conte looks to improve a Chelsea defence that has already conceded nine goals in the league.
Oscar de Marcos
Chelsea have already been in contact with Athletic Bilbao about signing versatile midfielder Oscar de Marcos.
The 27-year-old is likely attracting interest from Chelsea boss Conte because of his ability to play at full-back, which is an area that the Blues have issues due to the decline of Branislav Ivanovic.
Ivanovic’s contract expires at the end of the season, and Conte may see de Marcos as the perfect replacement for the Serb should he end his eight-year stay in South-West London come May.
Although de Marcos won’t come cheap, he could be exactly what Chelsea need to solidify the defence, and in turn resurrect their title challenge.
Antoine Griezmann
Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.
According to the Telegraph, Chelsea have been keeping tabs on the Frenchman for over two years, and January may be the perfect time for the Blues to finally bring him to Stamford Bridge.
The 25-year-old netted six times to help Didier Deschamps’ side reach the final of their home European Championships this summer, including a brace in their impressive 2-0 win over Germany in the semi-final.
Unsurprisingly, Griezmann is a wanted man and, since parting with his agent in the middle of September, many clubs, including Manchester United and Chelsea, sense a great opportunity to get a deal done for the Atletico Madrid forward.