Chelsea had made an offer of £35 million for AC Milan defender Alessio Romagnoli.
Alessio Romagnoli competing with Gary Cahill during Chelsea’s pre-season friendly against AC Milan
Antonio Conte has been on the lookout for a few more defensive recruits before the transfer window deadline next week, with Romagnoli, Nikola Maksimovic and Kalidou Koulibaly among those in the forefront of Conte’s transfer plans, reports the Daily Mail.
Having had a bid for £30 million rejected, Chelsea increased the offer but have been told in no uncertain terms that Romagnoli is not for sale.
Fans of the Blues were distinctly unhappy with their side’s defensive performance in their second round EFL Cup tie with Bristol Rovers on Tuesday.
Time is running out for Chelsea manager Antonio Conte in his quest to find a new defender
Despite scoring three goals through new signing Michy Batshuayi and Victor Moses, conceding two goals against a club currently languishing in 18th place in League One was deemed not good enough if they are to challenge for the Premier League title this season.
John Terry coming on as a substitute to replace Ola Aina on Tuesday night
As it stands, Chelsea have only seven defenders in their first-team squad. Behind Cesar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill, John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic, they have 21-year-old Kurt Zouma, 19-year-old Ola Aina and 21-year-old Matt Miazga.
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