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What’s the story?
Chelsea have launched an enquiry for Real Madrid midfielder, Marcos Llorente according to Express. The Blues are keen on signing a midfielder and have set sights on the 22-year-old Spaniard.
Apart from Chelsea, there are 2 other top clubs also interested in signing him. Barcelona and Manchester City have also made a move for him but are well behind Chelsea.
Zidane is keen on keeping him at the Bernebau but the Spaniard is keen on playing regularly - something he will not be able to do at Madrid. In April he said, "I want to triumph with Real Madrid, but I do not want to be on the bench even if it's the biggest club in the world."
Also read: Chelsea star ready to snub Real Madrid and join Barcelona
In case you didn’t know...
Chelsea intent on signing a midfielder following the sale of Nemanja Matic to Manchester United. Danny Drinkwater was their #1 target but reports imply that the Foxes are demanding £40 million for him.
The heart of the matter
With Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Luka Modric in the squad, Llorente is not going to get to start any of the big games. He will only make the bench for those matches and wil be able to play a full game only in the Copy Del Rey matches and other games where Zidane decides to rest his top players.
What’s next?
Llorente's dad wants him to join the likes Atletico Madrid or Barcelona but the player has already ruled out moves to the clubs as they are title-rivals for Real Madrid. He's clearly said that he has no intentions of joining them despite what his father has advised him.
Chelsea will look to negotiate a deal with Real Madrid soon and sign him up. The deal is expected to cost around €25 million - a lot less than what other clubs are demanding from Chelsea for their targets.
Author’s Take
Marcos Llorente is a smart player but it's hard to see him get what he wants at Chelsea. Conte would clearly prefer the likes of Kante and Bakayoko over him and with Cesc Fabregas being the 3rd choice.
The ideal club for Llorente would be a mid-table La Liga side as he would be their #1 choice and also get a lot of attention. In the Premier League, he would only get demotivated thanks to the English media who jump on the mistakes made by players at the top clubs.
