- • Chelsea deciding whether to bid for striker now or defer interest until summer
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Chelsea have expressed interest in Celtic’s Moussa Dembélé and have been made aware of the Scottish champions’ valuation of the striker, with the Premier League leaders now weighing up whether to lodge a formal bid in the region of £30m before the transfer deadline on Tuesday night or defer their interest until the summer.
Dembélé, a France Under-21 international, began his development at Paris Saint-Germain before joining Fulham’s academy at 16 and has been prolific in Scottish football since signing a four-year contract at Celtic last summer. His 20 goals in 38 appearances include an eye-catching double against Manchester City and an equaliser, from the penalty spot, at Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Champions League, with the forward continuing the progress he had demonstrated in the Championship last term.
Antonio Conte, whose side take on Liverpool at Anfield on Tuesday hoping to open a 13-point gap over their hosts, has been keen to add to his forward ranks this month, initially seeking cover for Diego Costa, with Michy Batshuayi still settling into life in the Premier League. The London club previously sounded out Swansea City over the potential availability of Fernando Llorente.
There is less necessity to pursue targets mid-season given that Costa is to remain at Stamford Bridge until the summer at the very least following interest from the Chinese Super League. Chelsea may therefore choose to rekindle interest in Dembélé in the summer window, when Celtic may be more receptive to a bid for a player who cost them only £500,000 – a training compensation fee for the youngster who was out of contract at Craven Cottage.
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