10.15pm Chelsea news LIVE: Kante available for £70m, Rice wants to play with Mount, Ighalo could make Blues transfer – The Sun

CHELSEA are eyeing up a big summer rebuild with the Premier League suspended indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But after an injury-hit season N'Golo Kante may not be as essential as he once was, with Frank Lampard reportedly willing to let him move to Real Madrid if a £70m offer comes in.

Follow all the latest updates and gossip from West London below…

  • RICE AND SHINE

    Declan Rice has got Chelsea fans excited by admitting he would love to partner up with childhood friend Mason Mount at club level.

    He told Copa90:“Yeah I’d love to, I’d love to play with him at club level again.

    “One thing we’ve always said as kid we’d love to play with each other at club and international level

    “But obviously you never know because of different paths and things like that.”

  • KANT HACK IT

    Chelsea are willing to let N'Golo Kante leave in a cut price move, claims OK Diario.

    The Spanish daily claims that with the Frenchman now 29 and having suffered an injury-hit season, the Blues would be content to more than double the £30m they paid for him.

    The figure Chelsea are now looking to recoup for Kante is said to be between £70.3m and £79.1m.

    Interestingly however, Real Madrid are no longer said to be prioritising a move for the World Cup winner, whose £300,000-a-week wages are reportedly out of their price range following the coronavirus pandemic.

  • BRING EM IN

    JUVENTUS and Napoli are reportedly poised to make a move for Chelsea star Emerson Palmieri as Frank Lampard eyes a move for Leicester's Ben Chilwell.

    The Italian defender has fallen out of favour at Stamford Bridge and could be set for a return to Serie A this summer.

    Emerson, 25, came to Stamford Bridge from Roma in 2018 but hasn’t cemented a place in the starting line-up with Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta being preferred options.

    The Italian international has made just 14 Premier League appearances under Frank Lampard this campaign and his Blues career looks like it could soon come to an end.

    Despite starting the season in the squad, Emerson has found it tough get back in and according to sports journalist, Nicolo Schira, the Italian defender's agent is in talks with Juventus and Napoli.

    Schira reports that the Blues will be willing to sell Emerson for between €25-30m (£21-26m).

  • CHIL OUT

    Chelsea are lining up a £50million move for Leicester's Ben Chilwell, according to reports.

    The Blues are on the hunt for a new left-back when the transfer window reopens with Frank Lampard keen to replace Marcos Alonso and Emerson.

    Lampard has grown frustrated at Emerson this campaign and will move to replace him with the England ace in the summer, according to the Mail.

    Spaniard Alonso performed well in recent matches but is not seen as the long-term solution for manager Frank Lampard, who wants to build a young squad around British players.

    Chilwell came through the Leicester academy and replaced Christian Fuchs as the first-choice left-back at the King Power.

    Over the past year, his performances meant Gareth Southgate made him among his favoured left-backs in the Three Lions set up.

    There was plenty of transfer interest in him last year with Manchester City linked with a move for the defender.

    Chelsea were also keen but were under a transfer embargo and could not secure a deal in January after Leicester sold Harry Maguire in the summer for a world-record fee.

    Chilwell’s performances have dipped a little this term, though, and he faces competition from both Fuchs and James Justin, who arrived from Luton at the beginning of the season.

  • MART OF WAR

    Chelsea transfer target Lautaro Martinez could be the new Sergio Aguero.

    That’s according to former Blues striker Hernan Crespo, who believes the Inter Milan ace is on the right track to stardom.

    Martinez, 22, has scored 16 goals this season after forming a deadly partnership with Romelu Lukaku.

    It’s reckoned Chelsea are after the Argentina international to compete with Tammy Abraham for a place in Frank Lampard’s starting XI next season.

    Barcelona are also understood to be interested amid doubts over Lionel Messi’s future.

    And Crespo believes Martinez is on the right path to become as good as Manchester City hitman Aguero, regarded by many as one of the best in the business.

    Crespo told Sky Sports Italy: “We know Mauro Icardi and Paulo Dybala, while we’re getting to see what Martinez can do.

    “Lautaro could well be the new Aguero. He’s not as sharp in his dribbling but he is more of a team player than Kun, who too often gets distracted and looks disinterested.

    “Lautaro is always participating in the move, so he can play as a long centre-forward or with another striker like Lukaku, even in a trident. I really like his mentality.”

Source: Read Full Article