Chelsea Transfer News: Latest Emanuel Mammana, Antonio Rudiger Rumours

Chelsea can reportedly sign River Plate defender Emanuel Mammana, provided the Stamford Bridge club is willing to pay £8 million for the 20-year-old.

Nizaar Kinsella of Goal.com has revealed the Blues have even held talks with Mammana's agent Hernan Reguera. Chelsea won't even have to meet the player's £11 million release clause, according to an unnamed River source cited by Kinsella: “if Chelsea put up £8m, they will get Mammana.”

It's clear new Chelsea manager Antonio Conte needs to refresh things at the back ahead of next season. The Blues may have brought back skipper John Terry, but the 35-year-old was far from his best last season.

Maurizio Degli Innocenti/Associated Press/Associated Press

The same could be said for 30-year-old Gary Cahill and 32-year-old Branislav Ivanovic. It's a situation Conte must change if his ideas are going to succeed in the Premier League.

The former Juventus and current Italy boss often likes to deploy three at the back, a tactical structure that demands pace and composure on the ball from its trio of central defenders.

As a young talent with room to grow as both a defender and ball-player, Mammana makes sense as a target. But he's not the only accomplished centre-back on Conte's radar.

AS Roma Willing to Sell Antonio Rudiger

According to reports in Italy, Serie A side AS Roma will sell reported Chelsea target Antonio Rudiger, once the two clubs can agree a fee. It's a complex deal since Rudiger is technically still on loan from VfB Stuttgart.

Yet, Italian publication Il Tempo (h/t Football Italia), has reported Roma want to keep Kostas Manolas and acquire Lyon's Samuel Umtiti, a two-fold scheme that will require making use of Rudiger.

The Football Italia report detailed the scenario: "The 23-year-old arrived on loan from VfB Stuttgart for €4m and can be bought outright for another €9m this summer. The plan is to sell Rudiger on at a profit for €30m, though so far Chelsea are not prepared to meet that price-tag."

The type of profit Roma want from Rudiger could put Chelsea off, even though he's got qualities Conte is sure to appreciate. Quick, athletic, good in the air and comfortable in possession, Rudiger has the core potential to become a star.

Yet, he's playing it cool when it comes to discussing the possibility of joining Chelsea, recently telling German source Wolfsburger Allgemeine (h/t Metro's Max Miller): "Chelsea? This is talk I’ve felt for three years. I repeat, in Rome I am happy."

Rudiger may sound content, but Conte should change his mind if he can. He's precisely the kind of young defender the Blues need to start building around next season.

Reconstructing a fearsome defence will be an obvious priority for Conte after Chelsea conceded 53 goals in the Premier League during the 2015/16 campaign.