Antonio Conte has told Chelsea he wants the club to sign Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci or Southampton star Virgil van Dijk this summer, reports The Daily Telegraph.
Chelsea have prioritised the need to strengthen their defence this summer after only managing to re-sign David Luiz on deadline day last summer and Conte has set his standards high.
Van Dijk was expected to join Liverpool this summer only for Jurgen Klopp’s side to back down after being reported by Southampton for turning the player’s head illegally.
Southampton have reportedly slapped a £70m valuation of Van Dijk’s head and Chelsea would need to make the Netherlands international the most expensive defender of all-time to land him, and then there is the fact they need to convince him to give up on Liverpool and move to London.
Conte is also keen to rekindle the club’s interest in Bonucci after failing to reunite with the Juventus defender last summer. The 30-year-old has been heavily linked with a £60m move to the Premier League this summer, with Pep Guardiola also looking to bring the Italy international to Manchester City.
Chelsea want to make a conscious effort to move away from signing older players, particularly ones that are going to cost so much money, but Conte wants the club to break protocol and go all out for the Juventus star.
Since August 2010 only Daniele De Rossi (1353) has completed more accurate long balls of outfielders in Serie A than Bonucci (1268).
For more stats on Leonardo Bonucci, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
