According to reports in The Independent on July 21, Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is keen to sign Swansea City striker Fernando Llorente this summer but has been told that the Spaniard could cost more than £30m.
The Blues boss is looking for back-up for new boy Alvaro Morata, and The Independent says that Llorente is one of his top targets having worked with the 32-year-old during his time managing Juventus and seen the impression he made for the Swans last season.
The 6’5″ centre-forward scored 15 goals in 33 Premier League appearances as the Welsh outfit narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship, and as such The Independent says they are willing to demand a large transfer fee for him despite the fact he only has one year remaining on his contract.
Conte could choose to look at alternative options if he feels that price is too much, and one of those players could be Shandong Luneng striker and former Southampton star Graziano Pelle, who moved to China last summer and is also 32 years of age.
Here are three reasons Chelsea should target Pelle instead of Llorente…
Premier League experience
If Conte is looking for a physical and influential back-up striker with experience of playing in the English top flight, then he should certainly be taking a closer look at Pelle as a possible alternative to Llorente.
The 6’4” centre-forward was an impressive performer for Southampton during two seasons in the Premier League between 2014 and 2016, scoring 23 goals in 68 appearances and 30 in 81 outings in all competitions, and proving to be a huge threat in the air as well as being good with his feet.
Pelle was particularly impressive in his final top flight campaign with Saints, netting 11 goals and providing a futher seven assists in 30 appearances.
Conte knows him well
One of the reasons Conte is said to want Llorente is because he worked with him during his time as Juventus boss, but he also knows Pelle very well.
The former Italy manager gave the centre-forward his first cap for his country in 2014 and the 32-year-old went on to become a key player during his reign, featuring and scoring twice at the 2016 European Championships in France.
The fact that both are Italian should also ensure that the pair have a good relationship, and that would make things easier if Chelsea did bring Pelle to Stamford Bridge this summer.
Price tag
According to reports in the Daily Mail on July 25, the Chinese Super League has been thrown into uncertainty with the news that 13 of its clubs may have to forfeit the competition after not paying their players properly.
The report names Pelle as one of the players that would be affected, and the 32-year-old could look to leave Shandong Luneng this summer as a result.
The Chinese clubs could look to offload their highest-paid stars in the meantime and that could mean that the Italian is a available for a cut-price fee – especially because of his age – and he should be a much cheaper option than Llorente.
Do you agree, Blues fans? Let us know below.