Chelsea transfer news: Conte wants Oxlade-Chamberlain, doesn’t want Drinkwater or Barkley

ANTONIO CONTE wants to sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain but not Danny Drinkwater or Ross Barkley.

Chelsea transfer news: Antonio ConteREUTERS

Chelsea transfer news: Antonio Conte is desperate for new signings

That is the opinion of journalist Duncan Castles.

Chelsea have splashed out over £130million this summer on Alvaro Morata, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Antonio Rudiger and Willy Caballero.

But they have recouped around £100m with Nemanja Matic leading a 10-man exodus at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have been linked with a host of players before Thursday’s 11pm transfer deadline including Jamie Vardy, Andrea Belotti, Fernando Llorente, Ross Barkley, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Danny Drinkwater, Virgil van Dijk and Danny Rose.

But while journalist Castles thinks Conte wants Arsenal star Oxlade-Chamberlain, he doesn’t think the Italian is keen on Everton’s Barkley or Leicester’s Drinkwater.

“I think the result against Tottenham [2-1 win] was very important for Conte’s mood,” Castles told The Transfer Window podcast.

“If he had lost that game he would have descended into even deeper fits of despair and anger, throwing it around the training ground and at the players so that has let off some steam there.

“But I don’t see any way in which he ends up this window happy.

“If you look at the names that Chelsea are briefing as targets at the moment you’ve got Oxlade-Chamberlain, who yes I can see that being a signing Conte would be on board with because he is flexible.

“But Drinkwater is a midfielder I cannot see being Conte’s choice for a central spot and Ross Barkley again I don’t see that as a transfer being driven by Antonio Conte.”

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