Chelsea‘s incoming manager Antonio Conte appears to have an eye on AS Roma defender Kostas Manolas, after he was reportedly spotted meeting his representative in London.
Conte was announced as the Blues’ new boss earlier this week, and will join up with the club in the summer after completing his work with Italy at the European Championships.
However, that hasn’t deterred speculation about potential transfer dealings under Conte at Stamford Bridge, as Manolas is the latest to appear on the radar.
Calcionews24 report that Conte was spotted in London meeting with Ioannis Evangelopoulos, who’s the representative of the 24-year-old Roma centre-back.
The aforementioned report does go on to say that Conte’s top target is Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci, but Manolas could be an alternative after the former recently signed a new deal with the Old Lady.
The Greece international only joined Roma in 2014 from Olympiacos, but his performances during his first campaign and the current season has prompted plenty of interest in his services.
Manolas, a Rudi Garcia signing at Roma, has come on leaps and bounds over the last 18 months or so, and it’s little wonder that the Blues are keeping close tabs on the 6ft1 centre-back.
Chelsea could do with some defensive reinforcements this summer, with John Terry expected to be let go, Branislav Ivanovic getting no younger and Kurt Zouma out with a long-term knee injury.
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