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Chelsea have made an increased offer to sign top Arsenal transfer target Julian Alvarez as the striker looks to leave Atletico Madrid, according to reports.<\/p>\n
The Blues finished last season in tenth position in the Premier League as BlueCo sacked Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior in a turbulent campaign.<\/p>\n
Chelsea<\/strong> are without any European competition next season and there have been concerns over them losing some of their best players.<\/p>\n Marc Cucurella remains the only top player to have left so far this summer with the Spain left-back swapping Stamford Bridge for Real Madrid in a deal worth \u20ac60m.<\/p>\n Most of their other top players have been branded untouchable by the club with squad players like Alejandro Garnacho likely to leave this summer.<\/p>\n Chelsea have already signed five players this summer<\/strong> with Geovany Quenda, Denner, Dastan Satpaev, Emmanuel Emegha and Marco Palestra all joining.<\/p>\n READ: Man Utd have one day to trigger clause for next signing as Chelsea move for Kone<\/strong><\/p>\n And now Chelsea are looking to land a striker with reports in Spain claiming they have made a \u20ac125m (\u00a3106m) \u2018increased offer\u2019 to sign Alvarez from Atletico Madrid.<\/p>\n Alvarez has been attracting interest from Premier League champions Arsenal<\/strong> and La Liga winners Barcelona with the Argentina international hoping to secure a move to the latter.<\/p>\n The problem is that Atletico Madrid are refusing to sell to La Liga rivals Barcelona, who are also less likely to get anywhere near their \u20ac150m (\u00a3127m) asking price.<\/p>\n The report in Spain adds: \u2018Xabi Alonso believes Juli\u00e1n \u00c1lvarez is a perfect fit for what his\u00a0\u00a0Chelsea side needs. He\u2019s not just looking for a striker who scores goals, but an attacker capable of pressing, moving, linking up with teammates, and creating attacking opportunities. The Argentine has Premier League experience , knows the pace of English football, and wouldn\u2019t require a long adaptation period.<\/p>\n \u2018For Chelsea , the move would also make strategic sense. The club needs to regain attacking prowess and rebuild around reliable players. Julian offers hard work, a competitive spirit, and experience on the big stage. He\u2019s not just a promising prospect, but a player ready to lead from day one.\u2019<\/p>\n Chelsea \u2018has a slight advantage\u2019 over the Catalan giants as Atletico Madrid \u2018would rather sell to an English club than give their striker to Barcelona\u2019.<\/p>\n READ: Chelsea emerge as Salah first choice with Liverpool legend on the verge of deciding transfer<\/strong><\/p>\n The Blues head coach Alonso \u2018has set a figure that changes the conversation\u2019 with Chelsea offering \u20ac25m more than Barcelona\u2019s initial offer.<\/p>\n Fabrizio Romano revealed on Wednesday that Chelsea are still \u201cworking\u201d on a deal to sign Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix this summer.<\/p>\n Romano said on his YouTube channel<\/strong>: \u201cI mentioned Maxence Lacroix at the end of June and he remains on Chelsea\u2019s shortlist.<\/p>\n \u201cChelsea are still working behind the scenes on a deal for Maxence Lacroix.<\/p>\n \u201cHe is one of the most appreciated centre-backs on their list. Contacts have already taken place with the club and with the player\u2019s representatives.<\/p>\n \u201cChelsea remain very keen on Lacroix. They want to sign one centre-back, possibly two depending on departures, and Lacroix remains one of the top names they are considering.<\/p>\n \u201cPep Chavarria is a completely different story because he is a left-back or left wing-back, but negotiations for him are also continuing.<\/p>\n \u201cEven if I don\u2019t mention Lacroix every day, you should know the conversations are absolutely ongoing.\u201d<\/p>\n READ NEXT: Agreed Chelsea transfer to collapse on one condition as Man City react to huge BlueCo demand<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/div>\nRomano: Chelsea \u2018working\u2019 on a deal to sign Lacroix<\/strong><\/h2>\n