What's the story?
Several reports across various media outlets suggest that Antonio Conte is not a happy man. Unable to get full control over the team's transfer activities, the proud Italian has cut a frustrated figure and although his team is performing well enough, he seems to be unhappy with the squad depth at his disposal - especially considering the Board, and the fans, expect his team to put a fair fight and be competitive in all four of the tournaments he is participating in.
Chelsea, though, are desperate to keep ahold of the man who delivered the Premier League title in his debut season, and to this end - so report the good folk at the Mirror - the Premier League champions are planning a stunning double swoop in January for a combined €133 million for the duo of Alex Sandro from Juventus and Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal.
In case you didn't know
Conte is a long-time admirer of Juventus' flying Brazilian left back, Alex Sandro, and with just Marcos Alonso to roam down that left wing (he prefers using Cesar Azpilicueta as one of the three centre-backs), Chelsea could certainly use one more naturally left-footed wingback.
The heart of the matter
Meanwhile, the Alexis Sanchez swoop is being planned as a statement of intent from Board to Coach - to let him know that they are willing to splash big money on superstars as they believe in him. Couple this with the fact that the Chilean seems to want to get out of Arsenal as soon as humanly possible, and his subsequent refusal to sign a new contract and Chelsea may just be getting the charismatic Chilean for less than market-price!
Video
Anyone who follows the Premier League knows just how good Alexis Sanchez is, so for the uninitiated here's a bit of Alex Sandro magic
Quite a class act, isn't he?
Author's Take
With both of these superstars cup-tied in Europe with the Champions League and the Europa League respectively, it is unlikely that either will want to shift - especially as both Juve and Arsenal both have a great chance of being involved in the business end of their respective tournaments.
Having said that, however, Chelsea would definitely get a massive shot in the arm if either superstar were to hop on over to Stamford Bridge.