Antonio Conte has urged Chelsea chiefs to back him in his club-record swoop for Everton striker Romelu Lukaku, according to a report.
The Blues are expected to lose top scorer Diego Costa to Chinese Super League side Tianjin Quanjian in the coming months, leaving a major hole to plug during the off-season.
Lukaku is said to have been made Conte's top transfer target, but the Daily Mail claims that Conte will have to spend more than double the £28m they received from Everton for the Belgian ace in 2014.
Chelsea will reportedly look to get a deal pushed through early on, rather than letting the transfer saga drag out through the summer, with the lure of regular playing time and Champions League football for Lukaku.
Despite failing to score in 15 appearances for the Blues, Lukaku proved a big success with both West Bromwich Albion and Everton, joining the latter on a permanent deal three years ago and scoring 67 league goals in all.
Daniel Lewis
