What's the story?
After the chasing pack lost more ground in gameweek 23, it has become crystal clear that the Premier League crown is for Chelsea’s to lose. The Blues have a nine point lead over their closest competitors with 15 more games to go.
With no players signed in the January transfer window, Chelsea are expected to spend big in the summer which is a norm at Stamford Bridge. And according to the Telegraph, Antonio Conte has made a five man wishlist for the Chelsea board to target in the summer.
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Chelsea were linked to a couple of players last month but a deal did not materialise for any of the rumoured targets. Instead, the likes of Oscar, John Obi Mikel and Branislav Ivanovic were offloaded to trim the existing squad. Nathan Ake was, meanwhile, recalled from his loan spell at Bournemouth to cover for the outgoing Ivanovic.
The heart of the matter
The first name on Conte's summer wishlist is believed Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata if Diego Costa accepts an offer from China in June or rekindles his affair with Atletico Madrid next season. Virgil van Dijk has been a target for every big club in England due to his consistent performances but it is reported that Chelsea hold the advantage over their rivals for the Saints man.
Moussa Dembele, the Celtic prodigy was believed to be a deadline day target for the Blues as he was seen in London that day. Conte is keen to work with the youngster which is reflected by the enquiry that Chelsea made for him last month. The Monaco duo of Tiemoue Bakayoko and Djibril Sidibe are also on Chelsea's radar as the duo's form this season has enabled Monaco to mount a serious title challenge.
What's next?
Along with the incomings, Chelsea are also looking to offload some of their current first team players along with some of their players who are on loan. The likes of Nathan Ake, Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen are set to be judged by Conte in the summer before taking a final decision on the three talented defenders.
Marcos Alonso is also in danger of losing his Chelsea place along with Asmir Begovic who received a loan offer from Bournemouth on deadline day.
Sportskeeda's take
Antonio Conte has managed to have the most out of his current squad and looks set to avoid the mistakes that the likes of Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti did during their Chelsea days. Both the mentioned managers had won the league with the Blues but rested on their laurels in the summer by not strengthening the squad which resulted in their sacking.
The Italian seems to have learned from his predecessors' mistakes and has targeted brilliant players to make this Chelsea squad as strong as his Juventus side.
