Chelsea have been handed a blow in their pursuit of Inter Milan wing-back Antonio Candreva as the Italian side’s chief says he has “never” been available for the Premier League side to sign, according to a report from Football London.
The Premier League champions’ manager Antonio Conte was keen on bringing the Italian international to Stamford Bridge this summer as he looks to add depth to his squad in every position.
Candreva was also reportedly open for a reunion with his former boss, who managed him for the Italy national team and created a close connection with him along the way.
Inter chief Ausilio said:
He was bought last year, he is a national and he has never been put on the market and we never thought of giving it away.
The comments of Ausilio will be hard to take for Conte who was confident that Candreva would be a Chelsea player before the start of the new season but it seems that the manager will now have to pursue other targets.
Candreva only joined Inter last summer from fellow Serie A club Lazio and the club aren’t ready to offload one of their best players as they look to challenge for the Serie A title this season.
