Reports: Chelsea plot stunning move for Arsenal star

What’s the story?

Chelsea are hunting for wing-backs and the search has now landed them at Arsenal. Antonio Conte is desperate to add more players to his squad before the season begins.

The Premier League champions are set to make a move for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain according to Sky Sports. The Englishman is also interested in leaving Emirates and the Blues believe they can strike a deal.

Chelsea to make move for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain next week. Arsenal midfielder has told Wenger he will not sign new deal currently on offer

— Kaveh Solhekol (@SkyKaveh) July 21, 2017

Conte wants to take advantage of the contract situation of Chamberlain and sign him up. Liverpool and Manchester City are also interested in signing him.

In case you didn’t know...

Chelsea's move for Danilo and Alex Sandro seem to fall through as their bids for both players aren't being accepted. While Danilo is expected to join Manchester City, Sandro looks set to remain at Juventus.

Real Madrid were demanding £31 million for Danilo but the Blues were only interested in paying up to £28 million for him. This gave Manchester City the chance to swoop in and reports suggest that they have agreed a deal for him.

Chelsea calling?

But in the case of Sandro, Chelsea were ready to break the world record to sign the Brazilian. A bid of €70 million was reportedly logged for him but Juventus turned it down as they had lost Dani Alves and Leonardo Bonucci was also set to leave.

The heart of the matter

Chelsea are keen on signing a wing-back - a position Oxlade-Chamberlain was playing for Arsenal towards the end of last season. The Englishman can also play as a central midfielder and his versatility has gotten Conte interested in him.

Arsene Wenger is confident of keeping hold of Oxlade-Chamberlain but the player is in his final year of his contract. Reports suggest that he has already informed the club that he has no intentions of signing a new contract.

Arsenal proposed a swap deal involving Nemanja Matic and Oxlade-Chamberlain two weeks ago but it was rejected by the Blues as Matic did not wish to join the Gunners.

What’s next?

Chelsea take on Arsenal today in a friendly. The match is taking place in Beijing, China.

The Gunners will be heading back to England after the match the Blues are set to open talks with them early next week.

Author’s Take

Oxlade-Chamberlain qualifies as home grown and also has the skills to play in different positions. His contract situation is a big boost for Chelsea and that might work well for him to strike a deal.