Chelsea Transfer News: Miralem Pjanic Tops Antonio Conte Shortlist Rumours

Antonio Conte is reportedly eyeing AS Roma's Miralem Pjanic as his first Chelsea signing with the Italian expected to be named as the new Blues manager this month.

According to Matt Hughes in the Times, Chelsea have a "longstanding interest" in Pjanic and could be open to the idea of signing him if and when Conte is installed as manager.

The report added that Roma's Belgian central midfielder, Radja Nainggolan, is also on Conte's shortlist as he begins preparations for life at Stamford Bridge.

The 46-year-old manager is currently in charge of the Italian national team, but his contract expires after the summer's European Championship. He is the favourite to replace current interim Blues boss, Guus Hiddink, as the next permanent Chelsea manager in the summer, per Sky Sports News HQ.

Per Hughes, though, Conte is aware of the stigma attached to international managers going straight into club roles after major tournaments and is eager to assure Chelsea that he will be prepared for next season despite his Italy commitments:

Hence the recommendation of various transfer targets, and the two named players could certainly be useful additions at Chelsea as they look to return to the top of the Premier League.

Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas were a key part of the Blues' title-winning 2014-15 season but have been far from their best during the current campaign—in which Chelsea have floundered in the bottom half of the table.

Adding Pjanic, 25, and Nainggolan, 27, would allow for much more variety in the centre of Chelsea's midfield and take some of the pressure off the current options.

Furthermore, Pjanic would bring an added creative threat; his contribution of nine Serie A goals and eight assists this season is testament to his attacking ability, per WhoScored.com.

The Bosnia and Herzegovina international is also a set-piece specialist and could share the dead-ball responsibilities with Willian. 

Meanwhile, Nainggolan's energy could be crucial for Chelsea in their bid to return to the upper echelons of English football.

So often this season the Blues have looked sluggish and disorganised, but Nainggolan is known for his tenacity and is "widely considered one of the finest midfielders in Serie A," per WhoScored (via TalkSport).

Bleacher Report's Marcus Speller and Dean Jones bemoaned the sale of Ramires in the winter transfer window, suggesting that his departure for China arguably weakened the Blues midfield:

However, the addition of Nainggolan would undoubtedly make up for that, as he is a genuine box-to-box midfielder, capable of winning balls in defence as well as driving his side forward.

Conte seems to have identified the centre of midfield as a key weakness for Chelsea, and the decline of Matic and inconsistent form of Fabregas has partly aided the Blues' downfall this season.

The addition of Pjanic and Nainggolan could go a long way to rectifying the situation.