Chelsea submit €30m bid for Zenit’s Leandro Paredes — report

Midweek transfer rumor madness continues with a claim from Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Nicolo Schira that Chelsea have made a concrete move for Leandro Paredes, turning up the heat from low to medium with a €30m bid.

(It’s only medium as that fee seems rather low; just barely more than what Zenit paid Roma a year and a half ago for the Argentina international.)

Schira adds that Paredes, who has over two years left to run on his current contract, does want to leave Zenit, which could work in any bidding team’s favor, be that Chelsea or whoever else.

The 24-year-old is generally highly regarded for his technical passing and deep-lying playmaking skills, which should remind us of a certain Cesc Fabregas, who’s simply waiting for the green light from Chelsea to complete his move to AS Monaco. With young Nicolo Barella not too keen on moving to England at this point in time, Paredes could yet turn out to be the midfield signing of choice this winter.