Roman Abramovich will greenlight a £120 million spending spree in an effort to prevent Chelsea’s season from imploding, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain first on his list.
The Blues made a woeful start to their Premier League title defence, losing 3-2 at home to Burnley, a result that drew immediate comparisons with Jose Mourinho’s ill-fated campaign.
But, according to the Mirror, Abramovich is ready to try and change the mood at the club and will provide Antonio Conte with the three signings he wants.
First they will test Arsenal’s resolve to keep Oxlade-Chamberlain with a £35m bid, an enormous offer given that he only has one year left to run on his contract.
They are also pursuing deals for Virgil van Dijk, despite Southampton’s instance that he will not be sold this summer, and Leicester City midfielder Danny Drinkwater.
Chelsea are believed to have already had a £15m bid for Drinkwater rejected, while Arsene Wenger has no intention of allowing Oxlade-Chamberlain to join a rival even if it means losing him for nothing next summer.
The champions are convinced that a big spending spree before deadline day can address the issues currently affecting the squad and provide Conte with the team he needs to prevent another Mourinho-style catastrophe.
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