Chelsea Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Alex Sandro and Bertrand Traore

Chelsea have reportedly had a bid worth £55.2 million for Juventus left-back Alex Sandro turned down by the Serie A giants. However, the Bianconeri are still willing to sell the former Porto ace if he wants to leave this summer, per the reports.

A report from Matt Barlow of the Daily Mail detailed Juve's stance on key defender Sandro ahead of the transfer window: "The Italian champions are reluctant to sell but they recognise the opportunity to make a healthy profit on the 26-year-old who was signed from Porto two years ago for £23m."

Even so, Juve general director Giuseppe Marotta confirmed the Bianconeri have knocked back Chelsea's initial interest in Sandro, per Marc Williams of the Daily Star: "We said no to a very good offer from Chelsea for Alex Sandro."

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Barlow also dubbed Sandro one of Chelsea manager Antonio Conte's "top targets as he tries to generate a summer recruitment drive with the Champions League in mind."

Conte's desire for a bigger squad to cope with the extra games a UEFA Champions League program will demand next season explains why Chelsea would be so keen on Sandro. After all, the Blues already have an outstanding left-sided defender in Marcos Alonso.

The Spanish wing-back scored six times and provided three assists to help Chelsea win the Premier League last season, per WhoScored.com. However, Conte is seeking more competition at key positions, according to Barlow.

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Sandro would certainly push Alonso, but he would surely not warm to the idea of leaving a Champions League powerhouse like Juventus to not be a regular starter elsewhere.

Blues Ready to Sell Striker to Lyon

Ligue 1 side Lyon are reportedly ready to complete a deal for Chelsea striker Bertrand Traore. The attacker, who spent last season on loan at Ajax, will cost £16.6 million, per MailOnline's Simon Jones.

He revealed how "Lyon have matched Chelsea's asking price and hope to conclude terms this week."

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Lyon have already talked up their willingness to sign Traore. Club president Jean-Michel Aulas recently discussed how hard Lyon have been working to get a deal done, per Jones: "We want to bring Bertrand Traore to the club. There are advanced talks there, but many clubs are interested. We absolutely want to do the deal."

It's somewhat surprising Chelsea are so keen to part ways with Traore this summer. The 21-year-old attacker scored 13 times to help Ajax reach the UEFA Europa League final last season, per WhoScored.com.

As a gifted youngster who can operate at multiple spots along the forward line, Traore could provide vital depth up front for the Blues. It's an area where Chelsea are thin, especially with star striker Diego Costa told he can leave, per Robbie Dunne of AS English.

Aside from Costa's possible exit, Conte was reluctant to give Michy Batshuayi playing time, while Dominic Solanke has left for domestic rivals Liverpool.

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Traore would be able to offer cover behind whoever starts at centre-forward next season. However, generating a fee of £16.6 million for a squad player who has been exiled on loan is likely to be too tempting to pass up for a club yet to make its own splash in the market in 2017.