An update has emerged on Chelsea and their ongoing plans to reshape their playing squad after they finished in the bottom half of the Premier League in the season just gone.
What's the latest Chelsea transfer news?
Mauricio Pochettino is in the market to bolster his options in the middle of the park and Sandro Tonali has emerged as a potential option instead of Brighton & Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo.
The Athletic's David Ornstein has reported that the Blues have had an offer of £60m turned down for the Ecuador international and that they are now considering a number of alternatives, including the AC Milan commander.
This is alongside their pursuit of a deal for Villarreal forward Nicolas Jackson, who is seemingly closing in on a move to Stamford Bridge from the Spanish side after agreeing terms with the Blues. The reporter tweeted:
"Chelsea have agreed terms with Nicolas Jackson + intend to strike deal with Villarreal. €35m clause if needed. 21yo striker has committed. + #BHAFC rejected £60m #CFC Caicedo bid 2wks ago – Lavia, Kone, Tonali, Barella among alternatives."
Ornstein's article, which is attached to his Tweet, does not reveal how much it would take to snatch Tonali away from the Champions League semi-finalists but the Italian international is on the club's list of targets this summer.
Who is Sandro Tonali?
The 23-year-old Milan ace is a defensive midfielder who has the quality to make an impact at both ends of the pitch with his defensive awareness and creativity.
Whilst it remains to be seen how much the Italian giants would demand for his services, Football Transfers estimates his market value to be in the region of €68m (£58m), which is significantly more than the €39.7m (£34m) he was valued at in June 2022.
This shows that the young maestro, who scout Jacek Kulig hailed as "Il Comandante", has been building his value over the last 12 months and that Chelsea would be bringing in a player who is on the up, rather than a depreciating asset with no sell-on potential.
Tonali enjoyed a terrific 2022/23 campaign in the Serie A with Milan. The Italian commander, who was once lauded as “extraordinary” by former Brescia manager Eugenio Corini, averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.21 across 34 appearances in the division and made 2.6 tackles and interceptions and 1.8 key passes per match.
Only Thiago Silva and N'Golo Kante (both with a score of 7.26) averaged a higher rating in the Premier League and only Kante (1.9) created more chances per game than the £76k-per-week dynamo.