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What's the story?
Chelsea have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Kostas Manolas as Juventus have cooled their interest according to Metro. Juventus are now targeting Ezequiel Garay, who ended up leaving AC Milan, to replace Bonucci with.
In case you didn't know...
The Roma defender had been linked several times with the Blues this summer but nothing worthwhile came out of it.
Juventus were front-runners to secure the Greece international but have apparently cooled their interest. Manchester United and Zenith were the other clubs who seemed interested in the defender. Arsenal were also tracking the player.
Roma had agreed a £30m deal with Zenith last month for Manolas. However, he did not turn up for his medical as he wanted his wages be paid in Euros rather than Rubles.
The deal collapsed. Chelsea were monitoring the situation after the deal broke and wanted to sign the defender last month, but nothing came out of it.
The heart of the matter
With John Terry, Kurt Zouma, Nathan Ake and Nathaniel Chalobah all having left Stamford Bridge, Conte seems to have less options when it comes to defence. And with the Champions League returing to Stamford Bridge after a one year, Conte would like to add more players to increase the squad depth.
According to Tuttosport, Juventus have been put off by the asking price by Roma-£35m, who were looking to replace Bonucci with.
However, that doesn't seem to have put Conte off; he is looking now to bolster his defence. Juventus are also considering Manchester City's Eliaquim Mangala.
However, there are also reports that suggest that Juventus and Manolas have agreed personal terms. The Serie A champions are now trying to agree on a fee with Roma.
What's next?
Chelsea had been linked with vying for the likes of Bonucci and Van Dijk this summer. But with Bonucci joining Milan and Van Dijk seems more close to Liverpool, Chelsea have turned their attention to the Roma defender.
The Blues were also put off by the £70m asking price by Southampton for Van Dijk.
Author's take
The 26-year old has been with the Italian club since 2014 and has made over 100 appearances.
He can be a good addition to Conte's side. He has shown himself to be one of the top defenders in the Serie A and has also been linked with other Premier League clubs in the past.
The 26-year-o will cost nearly half of Van Dijk at a cool £35m.
