Chelsea look set to throw the kitchen sink at Inter Milan as Mauricio Pochettino hopes to sign Andre Onana. The 27-year-old goalkeeper has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge following his impressive performances for Inter Milan this season.
Onana, who sees his contract at the San Siro expire in 2027, featured 41 times for Simone Inzaghi's side, playing a key role in the Nerazzurri reaching the Champions League final. Despite the Cameroon international's eye-catching saves and expansive passing skillset, Manchester City waltzed away from Istanbul victorious.
football.london understands that Onana has been on the Blues' radar since he his time at Ajax a few years ago. It's said that Inter are reluctant to offload the shot-stopper and, while he appears to be happy in Milan, Chelsea are weighing up their options.
"I'm so, so happy at Inter," Onana said following the Champions League final. "At this professional level, you never know what happens. I'm available for Inter, they decide and I will accept what they want. I'm happy at Inter."
Then, shortly later, his agent Albert Botines explained his client's stance ahead of the upcoming window. Speaking to Italian outlet TV Play, he said: "Transfer market rumours are normal at this stage, but I prefer not to talk about it because it's very early and now the boy is focused only on the pitch.
"We have a five-year contract with Inter. He has another four years on his contract and now he is focused only on the Serie A final and the Champions League final. He still has a long contract, don't worry. He is very happy, he is playing for the strongest team in Italy."
With Pochettino facing an up-hill battle to acquire Onana's signature, The Sun claim that the Blues will propose two new players as part of a part exchange swap deal – Kalidou Koulibaly and Romelu Lukaku. The report states that Chelsea have held talks about offering the former, who is still held in the highest regard in Italy.
READ MORE: Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: 'Done deal', Mount exit 'agreed', Onana swap deal, Vlahovic bid
The report adds that Lukaku could also be included as part of a deal for Onana, though the Belgian's huge salary could prove to be an issue. And, the on-loan Blues striker didn't exactly cover himself in glory in Istanbul after blocking a gilt-edged change for Federico Dimarco and then seeing a point-blank header saved in the dying embers of the game.
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