Chelsea have tabled three separate offers for Atletico Madrid striker Samu Omorodion, according to Relevo.com reporter Matteo Moretto.
However, Atletico have decided to reject the proposal, as they are determined to keep hold of Omorodion ahead of next campaign. Moretto claims that manager Diego Simeone is keen to make the 20-year-old a key part of his first team plans
For his part, Omorodion is said to be happy to stay at Atletico, despite the fact that he was loaned out to Alaves for the first year of his time with the team, immediately after arriving from Granada last summer.
Where does this leave Chelsea’s plans for a new striker?
With the club having seemingly hit a brick wall in their attempt to snap up Omorodion, there is now a belief that the club will restart talks with Aston Villa about Jhon Duran.
Negotiations reached an impasse when the Villans demanded as much as £40m for the Colombian international. With Ian Maatsen set to seal a move in the other direction, though, there are clearly good relations between the two parties so a compromise on Duran may still be found.
Are the club looking to sign any other players?
Sporting directors Lawrence Stewart and Paul Winstanley are believed to have made Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise their top target for this transfer window.
There is growing confidence that the Blues can seal the Frenchman’s signature, but there are other clubs involved, including Manchester United, Newcastle and Bayern Munich. A final decision from the player is expected at some point next week.