Chelsea Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Andrea Belotti and Franck Kessie

Chelsea have reportedly seen their hopes of landing Torino talisman Andrea Belotti boosted after he said he wants to play in the UEFA Champions League, although they may have lost out to AC Milan in their hunt to sign Atalanta's Franck Kessie.

Belotti spoke to Sky Sport Italia recently and admitted while his €100 million (£84 million) release clause isn't a burden, he does wish to feature in elite competitions in the near future (h/t Daily Star's Jamie Styles):

"The World Cup is the dream for any player, just like the Champions League. I never stopped to think about the weight of that €100m tag, because I always thought I should prove my worth on the pitch and those performances would ultimately set my value.

"In today's world you hear about excessive transfer fees. Clubs pay €70m-€80m or even €100m for a single player. The level of the market has been raised so much in recent years and you hear excessive figures being bandied about."

The Torino striker has grasped attention after storming to the summit of Serie A's scoring charts this season. He's level with AS Roma's Edin Dzeko on 25 goals, although Belotti (31) has made three fewer appearances than the Bosnian.

In just his third full season in Italy's top flight, Belotti has risen to the occasion in mighty fashion and finds himself among esteemed competition in the goals hunt, as shown by commentator Adam Summerton:

Chelsea striker Diego Costa has also sent speculation whirling in regard to his future at Stamford Bridge, after he recently held a meeting with super agent Jorge Mendes in London, per The Sun's Tom Sheen.

In the event the former Atletico Madrid hitman were to leave the west London club, Belotti could make for a seamless replacement, although Torino president Urbano Cairo recently hushed talk of a move when speaking to Corriere della Sera (h/t Gianluca Di Marzio):

"Will Belotti stay? I honestly don't know. Let's just say that we have been very clear with him. When his agent asked me to increase his salary after the good season he had and the great start to this one, I said that's fine, we'll make contract longer and better but we'll also put a €100 million clause valid only abroad.

"So we found this compromise, I'll give you more, you make the contract longer and I give you this chance: if the player does things so extraordinary and a very important club abroad comes by offering a significant sum, one hundred million, I allow him to go there."

It plays into Chelsea's hands that the release clause is only available to teams outside Serie A, and the Blues may also be able to afford Belotti if they decide to cash in on Costa, who has 19 Premier League goals to his name this season.

It's possible the Blues will be recruiting as Premier League champions this summer, but Kessie may be one star they miss out on after Calciomercato.com reported Milan have barged in on a deal (h/t Charles Perrin of the Daily Express).

According to Perrin, a "broad agreement has been reached about personal terms" and the Rossoneri—recently bought out by a Chinese consortium—are said to be prepared to pay Atalanta £23.6 million for the midfield star.

The Ivory Coast international has made major strides as a Serie A powerhouse over the past 18 months or so, and football writer David Amoyal recently reported on Roma's growing interest in acquiring the 20-year-old's services:

Kessie offers a strong box-to-box presence and can be considered mature beyond his years, and the youngster has even earned comparisons to Manchester City star and compatriot Yaya Toure.

That being said, the Blues may not be able to add Kessie to the Premier League ranks just yet as Milan—boosted by their recent takeover—look to make their mark in Serie A's transfer market this summer.