Chelsea plan winter bid for Bayer Leverkusen winger

Premier League holders Chelsea are reportedly plotting a winter approach to sign Bayer Leverkusen attacker Leon Bailey. The 20-year-old has been long linked with the English champions, who have kept a close watch on his progress since his Genk days.

According to The Sun, the Blues are planning a £20m bid for the Jamaica international in the New Year, although they could face competition from Spanish giants Barcelona.

Chelsea have adopted a loan system where they have shipped out some of their younger recruits, and they could potentially loan back Bailey to Leverkusen, should the deal go through in January

Bailey snubbed transfer interest from the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea to join Leverkusen in January 2017, and he has since managed 18 Bundesliga appearances.

Conte had been keen on pursuing an attack-minded player during the summer, but his attempts to sign Everton's Ross Barkley came in vain after he snubbed their interest prior to the transfer deadline.