Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has reportedly emerged as a transfer target for Chelsea.
It has previously been reported that the Italian international wants to remain in Paris, but it appears that his compatriot Antonio Conte wants to make a bid to take the player to Stamford Bridge.
According to The Sun, Conte has given the green light to try to sign Verratti for a fee in the region of £55m.
However, while it has been suggested that PSG would be willing to sell the 24-year-old, he is settled in France after recently signing a new long-term contract.
Since moving to the Ligue 1 giants in 2012, Verratti has made 187 appearances in all competitions and Conte allegedly sees him as another option for his central-midfield department.
Conte has largely rotated Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas as partners to PFA Player of the Year N'Golo Kante, but the addition of Verratti would further strengthen an already stacked area which also includes Nathaniel Chalobah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Darren Plant
