Chelsea are hopeful of signing Roma duo Edin Dzeko and Emerson Palmieri for a combined €50m (£44m) fee when talks between the two clubs continue on Monday, claims The Guardian.
Antonio Conte’s side have earmarked a January move for the Roma pair in a bid to solve their shortcomings in defence and attack for the remainder of the season, but the Serie A side are holding out for as much as £57.2m.
The Chelsea manager has been on the market for a new striker since the end of last season after failing to warm to Michy Batshuayi, who joined from Marseille during Conte’s first summer at the club.
Chelsea were initially keen on signing West Ham striker Andy Carroll but a serious ankle injury has now forced the Blues to their attentions to former Manchester City frontman Dzeko.
Conte’s side have also stepped up their interest in Dzeko’s team-mate, Emerson, after growing increasingly frustrated by Juventus’ demands for star left-back Alex Sandro.
Juventus have repeatedly moved the goal posts in talks for Sandro and Chelsea have refused to meet their demands, instead turning to a new target.
A serious knee injury suffered at the end of last season has limited Emerson to just 16 minutes of league action this season but Chelsea are willing to gamble on the 23-year-old as they sound out competition for Marcos Alonso.
As for Dzeko, since swapping City for Roma in the summer of 2015, only three Serie A players have scored more goals than the 31-year-old (46 goals in 87 appearances).
