Antonio Candreva rubbishes Chelsea links

Following reports claiming that Chelsea lodged a bid of £23 million for Candreva, the player came on record to rubbish those rumours linking him with a move to Stamford Bridge. 

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte turned his attention to the 30-year-old after losing out to Manchester City for Real Madrid full-back Danilo. The Italian manager is thought to want another versatile player, similar to Victor Moses, to ensure deeper squad depth ahead of the new season.

The Sun reported that Chelsea offered Inter Milan £23 million, with the player also reportedly willing to make the move to Stamford Bridge after Inter Milan had a disappointing campaign last season, finishing 7th and out of any European spot. Candreva was also believed to be offered a huge bump-up on his current £85,000-a-week wage at Inter.

However, the player has now played down those rumours at the International Champions Cup press conference in Nanjing. He was quoted by Italian news outlet Football Italia as saying: "I’m proud to wear this shirt, I’ve bought into an important project here and I’m happy to be here. This jersey has an important history, which is honoured every time I wear it"

"The links with Chelsea are nice, but there’s been absolutely nothing to date. The club will take care of any bids that may come in."