Edin Dzeko confirms Chelsea transfer interest

AS Roma striker Edin Dzeko has confirmed that Chelsea were interested in his services during the winter transfer window but he was not ready to secure a Premier League return.

Speaking to Face TV, he said: "Chelsea is a big challenge and I know what kind of a club that is. I've been at Man City and I wasn't ready to move to Chelsea. Nobody I spoke to wanted me to move to Chelsea so I decided to stay."

Dzeko had initially been tipped to join the Blues alongside teammate Emerson Palmieri but the Bosnian eventually decided against pursuing a fresh challenge.

As a result, the west London side recruited the services of Olivier Giroud from arch-rivals Arsenal and the Frenchman was a key performer for the Blues during the tailend of the campaign.

Despite Giroud's arrival, Chelsea are expected to recruit a younger centre-forward this summer considering club-record signing Alvaro Morata is leaning towards a probable exit.

Morata made a strong start to his debut season with Chelsea after scoring 11 league goals until December but he could only manage one more before the close of the campaign.