Pizy

This is what I'm afraid of, too. It's why I'd kill for Verratti. I hate going into games against the likes of Man City, Arsenal, Spuds, and United knowing we'll likely be dominated in possession and have our midfielders struggling. We beat all of those sides regardless this season but you can't say we outplayed them all. If we play a midfield 2 of Kante/Bakayoko or Kante/Matic and have to play Barca/Madrid/Madrid/Juve they'll completely dominate us. We 100% need to have another player in there with them.

Bakayoko will be a very good signing. Very young with great potential to get even better. The question I'm asking is whether he's the best midfielder we could buy this summer? Probably not, but if Conte wants him I trust him. I just hope for the other positions we're targeting we go after top tier, A list players who are amongst the best in their positions. I like seeing us linked with Sanchez, Walker, Mendy etc rather than some good but not great players from Serie A.

Just hope we're secretly trying very hard behind the scenes to sign Mendy as well if we're already in negotiations with Monaco.

I just keep asking myself, does a straight swap to our XI of Bakayoko for Matic make a substantial difference? I'm not sure. If we're buying him and switching to a 3 man midfield with Kante & Cesc that would be great. He's a bit better than Matic technically, but simply playing a 2 man midfield of Kante & Bakayoko we'd have a similar problem to what we have already. Two players with similar skill sets and weaknesses.

Jordi Alba? Has he fallen out there or something? I'm out of the loop. Thought he was a nailed on starter for them?

Seeing more and more rumblings about him going to United. Please don't let our our be stupid enough to send a very good player to a direct rival. Matic may not be a first choice player for us next season but he's still far too good to be sold to a team that will surely be challenging us for the title. He would complete their midfield and free up Pogba to roam around more easily. Unless we're bringing in world class players in their positions there's absolutely no way we should even consider sending players like Matic or Willian to direct rivals. These are they quality options a top side needs to challenge on every front.

Everton are a pretty big club with new, rich ownership so they could play hardball over players and hold out for huge money. Not sure Southampton can keep a player if a huge offer comes in and the player wants to leave. I've seen on Twitter today that Klopp really likes him and that he "may be interested" in working with Klopp. Would be pretty bad if we miss out on our supposed #1 choice CB target to fucking Liverpool. Can't imagine he'd choose them over us if we both actually bid.

Yeah, the last thing they really need is another very good attacking player. They're so reliant on Kane for goals. Not sure I can see a player like James ever going there. He'll have offers from bigger clubs.

Not really, no. If he ends up at Spurs it would make them scarier, though. He, Eriksen, and Kane in attack could be extremely tricky to play against.

I could see him being a Liverpool signing and returning to the heights he saw previously. He'd be a Mané or Lallana type signing where he isn't coveted by the biggest sides and won't go for mega money but turns out to be very effective.

Think he'd be a great signing for any of the top teams. If not here, I hope it's not Liverpool or Spuds. Can see him being an annoyingly great signing for either of them.

You're definitely right that we've got it horribly wrong often times over the past few years in the market. A few gems but also many busts. No coincidence that the players like Cesc, Costa, Kante etc that the managers have specifically asked for have worked out great and then the ones you've named there which were clearly board signings haven't really kicked a ball for us. Like we've all said here recently, let us pray that they've learned their lesson and know they have to give Conte the players he wants. No cheaping out on average players. Conte showed that he'll leave a club if he feels he isn't getting what he deserves.

Sterling and Stones were both "potentially" top players.

So he's going from one big club that he'll never get a game for to another where he'll be very lucky to get any? Good luck, mate...

This is my thinking, too, and why I won't start panicking any time soon. Conte will obviously have a list of players he wants already in the hands of our board. The problem and concern is that many of the players we want are also top targets for our direct rivals who can offer more money. It seems like City want their business done ASAP. Let's hope we do the same.

If all of these signings happen City will have an unbelievable team. How on Earth they'll manage to keep all of those attacking players happy is puzzling. They'll have a top class player in every position on the pitch and about £100m+ worth of depth on the bench at any given time. We better have some crazy good business lined up because the two Manchester clubs will be buying multiple world class players. Will we even be shopping in the same bracket? Or are we buying solid, but not top players?

Must admit that I haven't seen him since before his injury but he was fantastic then.

Saw those rumors too but I find it hard to believe that he'd turn down a big PL club offering him a star role. Unless Milan are offering him insane money, I don't see why any top player would go there at this time.

Costa + Morata or Lukaku + Morata for me. A battering ram partnered with an elegant, technically great striker. Morata can surely be signed relatively easily unlike Sanchez or Griezmann and Lukaku is probably desperate to come back. Whatever happens we'll be fine. If there's one position our club is always willing to spend big on its striker. It's the other positions I'm anxious about.

Don't see how hey could possibly play together unless one of them is completely out of position. Just makes no sense to have two pure #9's.

The rumors of him going have really died down over the past few months so it would be an absolute gut punch if he left now. I think he'll be offered an enormous pay raise. Deserves it, course. Can become a Chelsea legend if he stays for another 5 years.

I'd happily see him stay if we also brought in another 15-20 goal scoring attacking player. If not an out and out striker then a hybrid forward like Alexis or Morata.

£20m We can send them a signed pair of his boots for that.

I agree. I hope next season we have the personnel ourselves to boss possession and dominate even the bigger sides. It's kind of annoying how we allow sides like Arse/Spuds/City/Liverpool etc have possession and we counter attack.

He'll be Mou's new Willian. Would be a good signing for United.