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AC Milan are said to be ahead of Chelsea in the race to sign Torino striker Andrea Belotti.

According to Gianluca Di Marzio (h/t Metro), the Rossoneri have already agreed personal terms with the Italy international, although no fee has been settled on with Torino as of yet.

As noted in the report, the Blues have also been linked with Belotti, who has a €100 million (£88 million) buyout figure in his contract that applies to overseas sides. Milan are said to have offered €40 million (£35 million) plus M'Baye Niang and Gabriel Paletta for the forward.

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Interest from Chelsea is understandable. As reported by Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph, Belotti is one of a number of strikers the Blues have enquired about after missing out on Romelu Lukaku. It's added by Law that Diego Costa has no future at Stamford Bridge.

Replacing Costa will be tough, although the Torino man has the attributes to do so. Per Squawka Football, Belotti is a striker who can score many different types of goals:

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Belotti's style of play would potentially see him blossom in English football.

In Serie A he's regularly involved in physical duels and is relentless in his work rate. While he's not an ultra-aggressive target man like Costa, Belotti is both a pest and poacher. Under Antonio Conte, you sense he'd do just fine.

Yet, the temptation to join the Milan renaissance would be understandable for Belotti, especially given the striker has previously made no secret of his love for the San Siro club, per Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia). As we can see, they have already made some major statements in the window:

At the moment, given the fee Chelsea would have to pay to prise Belotti away from Milan and the player’s own affinity with the Serie A giants, it looks increasingly likely the Blues will need to look elsewhere in an attempt to add a new goalscorer.

Nemanja Matic Left Out of Pre-Season Squad

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Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic has been omitted from the Blues' pre-season squad for upcoming matches in China and Singapore amid speculation he is to leave the club.

As noted by Ciaran Kelly of the Manchester Evening News, Matic has been linked with a move to Manchester United after the Blues landed Tiemoue Bakayoko from Monaco. It's added the Serbian has been training alone since returning from the summer break.

Matic was signed by United boss Jose Mourinho during his time at Chelsea and in recent years has been a linchpin in the team's midfield setup.

As noted by Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News, United look short of a holding midfielder:

Given his physicality, his composure in possession and defensive instincts, Matic would be a smart signing for the Red Devils.

For Chelsea, the capture of Bakayoko is an exciting one, and he should form a brilliant partnership with N'Golo Kante in the middle of the park. However, a player of Matic's experience and intelligence will undoubtedly be missed.