Roman Abramovich does not appear to mind that Chelsea could be facing a summer of chaos with the future of so many at the club unresolved, as he has told officials to continue working on transfer targets.
The Russian billionaire is understood to have told the club’s board to begin to make movements in regards to recruiting new talents despite the fact that Antonio Conte’s future remains in considerable doubt. The Italian is expected to leave Stamford Bridge in the summer after a disappointing campaign, although is defiant that he will be in west London at the beginning of next season.
It has been no secret that Conte has been unhappy with the way the club has been doing business regarding transfers and it is believed that his relationship with the owner has started to suffer as a consequence of his public outbursts.
Abramovich does not appear to hold the concerns of the Chelsea boss, which makes it all the more likely he will be handing the Italian his P45, and with the news that he has already told the club to focus on bringing in new targets, regardless of who is in charge.
Abramovich identifies targets he wants
One name that has been mentioned is Manchester City’s John Stones should he be made available by Pep Guardiola. The defender has suffered a frustrating second half of the season with a hamstring injury and with the arrival of Aymeric Laporte in the winter, it could spell the end for the 23-year-old.
Another name that has been on the radar of Chelsea for some time is Jean-Michael Seri of Nice, who has also been attracting plenty of interest from Barcelona, Arsenal and Liverpool. The Ivory Coast international could cost around £30million and Abramovich will want the club to make sure they beat the competition to his name.
