Chelsea are again believed to have increased their bid for Inter wing-back Achraf Hakimi, offering up Spaniard Marcos Alonso in exchange.
The Blues have been chasing Hakimi for a few weeks now and initially gave Inter the chance of signing Emerson Palmieri as part of the deal, but Inter made it clear that they would prefer Alonso instead.
That has not fallen on deaf ears at Stamford Bridge as La Repubblica state that Chelsea have put Alonso's name on the table alongside a cool £51m - higher than their previous bid of closer to the £40m mark.
Inter are thought to prefer a cash-only bid and are hopeful that a side will meet their asking price, which sits at closer to £70m, but as of yet, such a bid has not arrived.
From a financial perspective, Paris Saint-Germain have come closest. Their latest bid is believed to be £55m in straight cash, which is obviously higher than Chelsea's, but the Blues hope the inclusion of a long-term target for the Nerazzurri will give them the edge.
Sky Sport Italia believe that to be the case, stating Chelsea are 'ahead' in the race for Hakimi's signature because of their willingness to include a player, although Alonso is only named as an option here, rather than a part of a concrete bid.
Inter are already preparing for Hakimi's departure. Barcelona right-back Emerson is on their radar, and this latest report adds that PSV Eindhoven's Denzel Dumfries, who impressed in the Netherlands' Euro 2020 opener against Ukraine, is under consideration as well.
Hakimi's agent fuelled the fire of a potential departure recently by telling ¿Cómo te va? that the right-back is the likeliest candidate to be sold this summer to help raise money at San Siro.
"The only one who is going to leave Inter for now is Hakimi," Alejandro Camano said. "He is going."
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel sees Hakimi as a great rival for Reece James at right wing-back and could even play both players in the same team, with the Englishman expected to see some minutes at centre-back next season.
There have been suggestions that James' emergence as a viable option in the centre could end Chelsea's pursuit of a new centre-back this summer, but that part of Chelsea's plan remains unclear.
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Source: 90min
