Chelsea Reportedly Bid €40M for Juventus' Mattia Caldara

Chelsea have reportedly made a bid of around €40 million (£35.6 million) plus add-ons for Juventus defender Mattia Caldara.

According to Corriere dello Sport (h/t Calciomercato.com's Kaustubh Pandey), the offer follows on from Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia's visit to Italy, with the Blues having turned their attention to Caldara from Juve team-mate and fellow centre-back Daniele Rugani.

It's said the Bianconeri want a fee in the region of €50 million (£44.5 million), but Chelsea are trying to tempt them into taking a lower offer.

Juventus signed Caldara in January last year, but part of the agreement was that he remained with Atalanta until this summer.

The 24-year-old, who has scored 10 goals in 55 Serie A appearances, joined up with the Bianconeri this pre-season.

Football writer Adam Digby is a huge admirer of the centre-back, who has also been linked with a swap deal for AC Milan's Leonardo Bonucci:

With Giorgio Chiellini set to turn 34 on August 14 and Andrea Barzagli already 37, it's clear Juve's long-term plan has been to transition to a new generation of defenders in Rugani and Caldara.

The latter, in particular, is well on his way to becoming a highly impressive player in his own right, though journalist David Amoyal and Bleacher Report's Gianni Verschueren can see why the Bianconeri might be tempted to let him leave without kicking a ball in a competitive game for the club:

Gary Cahill turns 33 in December, so it's of little surprise Chelsea are targeting a younger centre-back to join their ranks alongside Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger.

If Juve can be persuaded to part with Caldara, he would be a superb buy for the Blues.