Report: Chelsea interested in 27-year-old midfielder

Chelsea are interested in signing Fiorentina midfielder Milan Badelj, according to sports website Goal.

The report claims Antonio Conte has already watched the Croatian in action against Torino at the beginning of the month, but the Blues face a difficult task of signing the player as AC Milan are also keen to secure his services as soon as possible.

AC Milan are reportedly confident of bringing Badelj to the San Siro in the January transfer window as a replacement for the injured Riccardo Montolivo, who’s been ruled out of action until next spring with a cruciate ligament injury.

The Croatia international is thought to be open to the possibility of moving to AC Milan, but if Chelsea could meet Fiorentina’s asking price, they would have a serious chance of beating the Italian giants to his signature.

The 27-year-old defensive midfielder, who joined Fiorentina from Hamburger two years ago, is one of Paulo Sousa’s key players. He’s made 7 appearances for his club so far this season, scoring one goal.

Even though Badelj seems more likely to stay in Italy at the moment, the spending power of the Premier League clubs should not be underestimated.

Badelj would be a great signing for Chelsea. He could be the perfect replacement for Nemanja Matic, who’s been heavily linked with a move to Juventus in the past couple of months.