Chelsea Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Antoine Griezmann, Sami Khedira, More

Chelsea will have to pay top dollar for the services of Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann, and the latest rumours from Germany indicate Bayern Munich will rival the Blues during the summer transfer window.

As shared by Bleacher Report's Clark Whitney, SportBild reports the Bavarians' interest is growing:

Meanwhile, per the Daily Star's Jamie Anderson, Atletico Madrid are adamant the France international won't be leaving for any fee below his £46 million release clause:

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According to reports, the Spanish outfit have told the Blues they will have to trigger his £46m release clause if they are to prise him away from the Vicente Calderon.

Atletico are fully prepared to reject any nominal offers from the Premier League champions to keep hold of the former Real Sociedad winger.

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Griezmann joined the Atleti during the summer of 2014 and needed some time to adapt to manager Diego Simeone's tactics, but he flipped the switch at the turn of the year and shot up La Liga's top scorers' rankings.

Per Squawka, he score more goals in 2015 than anyone not named Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi:

The former Real Sociedad man is supremely talented, and it's easy to see why both the English and German champions would be interested in his signature. Atletico will be desperate not to sell, however, and apart from triggering his release clause, it will be extremely difficult to bring the 24-year-old into the fold.

Bleacher Report's Garry Hayes thinks Gareth Bale, a prolific winger, should be the Blues' primary target during the summer transfer window, and Griezmann would be a similar target in terms of playing style and production at a smaller cost:

Whether Griezmann will be open to leaving the Atleti after just one season remains a question, and Chelsea don't have an obvious need for another winger after moving for Juan Cuadrado during the winter transfer window.

But if manager Jose Mourinho is keen on landing one big fish during the summer, Griezmann might be the perfect target to help push this Chelsea squad to the next level.

Sami Khedira to Undergo Juventus Medical

Free agent Sami Khedira will reportedly undergo a medical with Juventus this week, according to Calciomercato (h/t Football Italia), all but ending Chelsea' hopes of bringing the Germany international to Stamford Bridge.

Khedira has reportedly already agreed to a deal with the Bianconeri after spending the last few seasons with Real Madrid. The player and Los Blancos couldn't agree on a new deal, and via the Telegraph, he was immediately linked with Chelsea and Arsenal:

The Blues don't have a clear need for someone like Khedira, but neither do Juventus, who are absolutely stacked in the centre of the pitch. Star players of his caliber don't often come available for free, and the veteran would have provided a fantastic depth option for Chelsea.

The Italians have done a fantastic job of bringing in talent for bargain prices in recent years, as shared by FourFourTwo's Adam Digby:

Chelsea could have taken a page out of Juventus' book, but ultimately, missing out on Khedira isn't a disaster for the club. With Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas dominating opponents in 2014-15 and Ruben Loftus-Cheek on his way to the senior squad, the Blues seem more than set for the future.

Nicolas Gaitan Reportedly Agrees to Manchester United Deal―Again

Portuguese newspaper A Bola (h/t the Daily Express' Ben Jefferson) believes Benfica's Nicolas Gaitan has agreed to a £21 million move to Manchester United, snubbing Chelsea in the process.

As shared by uMAXit Football and Sport Witness, it's not the first time we've heard these rumours:

Portuguese media have a tendency of pulling the trigger on stories prematurely, and in the case of the 27-year-old Gaitan, they've dropped the ball numerous times. As shared by Sport Witness, they've been reporting this transfer as a done deal since 2012:

The big change since then is that agent Jorge Mendes is now involved, and usually, that means a transfer is imminent. Still, it's hard not to look at this transfer rumour without asking one or two questions.

We'll hold off on guaranteeing Gaitan will join anyone for now and wait for official confirmation from one of the parties involved.

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