According to reports in Italy, Chelsea are in pole position to sign Bologna starlet Amadou Diawara.
Transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio [as per the Metro] has reported that the Blues are leading the race to sign the teenage midfielder, but that they face competition from both AC Milan and Juventus for his signature.
Di Marzio states that Robert Visan, the precocious midfielder’s agent, has reached an agreement with Pini Zahavi, the influential super-agent who enjoys a close relationship with Chelsea chief Roman Abramovich.
Chelsea have endured a miserable start to the season, and it appears as though Jose Mourinho will turn to the transfer market in January in order to improve his side’s fortunes.
Diawara is a tough-tackling midfield talent, and as such, he may be signed to provide competition for Serbian star Nemanja Matic.
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The former Benfica man has been one of the Pensioners’ key underperformers so far this season, and with the out-of-sorts John Obi Mikel unlikely to provide much in the way of competition, Mourinho may see Diawara as both a long-term successor for Matic and immediate competition.
The 18-year-old was born in Conakry, Guinea and represented San Marino before moving to Bologna earlier this year.