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Report: Celtic striker Moussa Dembele earmarked as Chelsea’s number one summer target

General view inside Celtic Park (Reuters)
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Celtic striker Moussa Dembele was on Chelsea’s radar during the January transfer window but he ultimately stayed with the Scottish Premiership side.

A report in the Daily Mirror has claimed that Chelsea plan to make another move for Celtic striker Moussa Dembele this summer after failing to land the youngster during the January transfer window.

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The Mirror reports that Antonio Conte is a big fan of the Hoops man but ultimately decided against making a move after being told that they would need to pay £40 million to bring him to Stamford Bridge.

Celtic's Moussa DembeleCeltic’s Moussa Dembele

However, that asking price does not appear to have put the current Premier League leaders off returning as the Mirror reports that they have placed Dembele at the top of their list of priority targets for the summer and hold out some hope that they will be able to complete a deal for less than the Bhoys’ current asking price.

The Mirror adds that the 20-year-old could be interested in making a move and Celtic are resigned to losing the former Fulham man at some stage, which perhaps suggests that it may be difficult for the Hoops to hold onto him beyond this summer.

Chelsea manager Antonio ConteChelsea manager Antonio Conte

The fact that Chelsea have placed him at the top of their list highlights just how desperate they are to sign him at some stage as the Mirror reports that the other names on their list include Virgil van Dijk and Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata.

Charlie Nicholas claims Celtic missed out on a brilliant deal in January

And given that both of the other men on the list are established names in the Premier League and La Liga, it appears that Chelsea feel that the Celtic man has the potential to reach a similar level.