Chelsea Transfer News: Latest Cesc Fabregas, Marco Verratti Rumours

Chelsea are reportedly keen on swapping Cesc Fabregas for Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti. Blues manager Antonio Conte is said to be ready to offer PSG Fabregas and £43 million for Italy international Verratti in January.

Italian source Mediaset Premium (h/t Metro's Mark Brus) named Verratti as a top target for Conte, who is "apparently a big fan of his fellow Italian, whom he knows well from their time together with the national team before leaving the job to move to Stamford Bridge in the summer."

The same reports also referenced how PSG signing Poland defensive midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak in the summer has made it more difficult for Verratti to command a regular first-team place in Paris this season.

Chelsea have been on the trail of Verratti for a while. Earlier this month, Darren Lewis of the Daily Mirror wants 24-year-old Verratti to help him clear the decks in midfield. Specifically, giving him a reason to ditch both Fabregas and John Obi Mikel.

Interested parties, reportedly also including Arsenal and Barcelona, were alerted by supposed tensions between Verratti and PSG manager Unai Emery. The Daily Mirror's Joe Mewis detailed an incident where Verratti was visibly angered and questioned Emery after being substituted during a 0-0 draw against Marseille in Ligue 1 back in October.

There had been speculation Verratti may look to reunite with Bayern Munich manager Carlo Ancelotti in the Bundesliga. However, the man who brought Verratti to the French capital in 2012, played down the talk, according to Italian outlet Tuttosport (h/t ESPN FC's Mark Lovell).

Talk about Verratti's future may have been cooled in some quarters, but there's no stopping rumours about Fabregas leaving Stamford Bridge in the near future. Even Chelsea's Premier League rivals are said to be keen.

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Last month, Phil Cadden of the Sun on Sunday credited Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola with wanting to make a £20 million bid during the January transfer window. Earlier this month, Sevilla boss Jorge Sampaoli stated he won't try and take Fabregas on loan, per Colin Harvey of the Daily Star.

It's somewhat strange Conte doesn't see Fabregas as part of his best starting XI. After all, the Spanish pass-master is one of the most intelligent and prolific creators of goals in the game.

His 18 assists helped the Blues win the Premier League title in the 2014/15 season, per WhoScored.com. He's no longer a regular, but Fabregas has lost none of his vision and technical acumen.

He proved as much by coming off the bench to split Watford's defence and create a winning goal for Diego Costa back in August. Yet Conte has continued to overlook the creative ace.

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There isn't even a place for Fabregas since the manager switched the team to a 3-4-2-1 formation. Conte prefers to trust the brawn and energy of N'Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic in central midfield. Further forward, he has Eden Hazard and Pedro in creative roles in support of Costa.

A swap deal involving Verratti and Fabregas would suit Chelsea, PSG and both players. However, there's one factor that could still keep Verratti in Paris and leave no room for Fabregas.

The Ligue 1 club is reportedly ready to part ways with holding player Thiago Motta. His agent, Alessandro Canovi, recently told RadioGoal24 (h/t Football-Italia) how his 34-year-old client won't sign a new contract before his existing deal runs out this summer.

Letting Motta go is one thing, but sending Verratti out the door as well seems a bit much. It wouldn't be smart for PSG to dump two midfielders for one, even one as talented as Fabregas.