Chelsea consider surprise swoop for Spain international

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is weighing up a surprise move for Sevilla forward Vitolo as he looks to bolster his offensive options ahead of next season, reports The Daily Mirror.

The Premier League champions are expecting to be without PFA Player of the Year Eden Hazard for the start of next season after he broke his ankle on international duty with Belgium earlier this month and Chelsea want cover for their star man.

Atletico Madrid were widely expected to sign Vitolo this summer but their FIFA-imposed transfer ban has complicated matters and given the likes of Chelsea the chance to hi-jack their deal.

Sevilla would be powerless to preventing his departure if any admirer matched the £35m release clause in his existing deal and Conte is interested in getting a swift deal for the 27-year-old completed before the Chelsea squad fly out to the Far East for their pre-season tour next month.

Vitolo has spent the last spent the last four years at Sevilla and has forced his way into the reckoning with the Spain squad in the last few years despite their huge abundance of attacking talent.

In that time Vitolo has provided at least eight more assists than any other Sevilla player in La Liga (19).

For more stats on Vitolo, click here to visit his WhoScored player page