Chelsea Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Antonio Rudiger and Moussa Dembele

Chelsea target Antonio Rudiger is reportedly eager to leave Roma and get out of Italy after being subjected to racial abuse for the second time in 2016-17.

According to MailOnline's Sami Mokbel, the Germany international will seek a move to England having been "deeply upset" by racist taunts directed towards him by Lazio fans in Wednesday's Rome derby.

Back in December Lazio defender Senad Lulic aimed his own racial insults towards Rudiger after Roma beat their fierce city rivals 2-0 in Serie A, per Mediaset Premium (via Football Italia).

It is little surprise, then, that the 24-year-old is looking for a way out of Roma, and the Italian club will listen to offers of around £30 million for the centre-back, per Mokbel.

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Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is a "big admirer" of Rudiger's and has been regularly linked with making a move for the defender since he took over at Stamford Bridge last summer, per Jack Austin in The Independent.

Per Mokbel, Chelsea's Italian manager is preparing to "prioritise defensive signings" in the summer, and Rudiger could be the ideal target given he is now looking to leave Roma.

The former Stuttgart man has enjoyed a fine season in Roma's defence after recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury that ruled him out of UEFA Euro 2016, per Italian football writer David Amoyal:

He is very versatile defensively and could slot seamlessly into Conte's back three at Chelsea having operated in a similar system at Roma.

Chelsea have thrived in 2016-17 since Conte switched to a 3-4-3 system with Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz and Gary Cahill in his back line.

Given the Blues' results since they changed formation back in October—just one Premier League loss in 20 moving them 10 points clear at the top—it is arguable whether their side could be bettered.

However, an injury, suspension or drop in form from any of Azpilicueta, Luiz or Cahill could spell disaster in the long term for Chelsea as their centre-back cover is negligible.

Signing Rudiger would go a long way to solving that problem for Chelsea, and he could seemingly be available come the summer. 

Meanwhile, Celtic striker Moussa Dembele reportedly intends to leave the Scottish club in the summer having been linked with Chelsea and Manchester United.

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According to Goal (via Metro), the Blues were heavily linked with a move for the Frenchman in January and, with him now looking to move away in the summer, Celtic could demand around £40 million.

Dembele, 20, only moved to Celtic from Fulham last summer, but his stock has risen hugely during 2016-17 as he has netted 31 goals in 43 appearances in all competitions—including three in the UEFA Champions League and 17 in the Scottish Premiership—per Soccerbase.

Chelsea's undisputed No. 1 striker is Diego Costa, but his future remains in doubt following ongoing links to China, per The Sun's Neil Ashton.

Dembele could be Costa's long-term successor at Stamford Bridge, but the west London club may be loath to spend such huge money on a player yet to prove his consistency and quality at the highest level.