Chelsea plot move for AC Milan shot-stopper Donnarumma

Bengaluru, July 19: Chelsea could switch their attentions to Italian prodigy Gianluigi Donnarumma as they prepare to lose the race to Liverpool in order to sign Roma keeper Alisson Becker.

New Blues boss Maurizio Sarri is understood to have made a personal attempt to persuade Alisson to choose Stamford Bridge over a move to Liverpool, but his efforts look to be ending on a failed note.

The Reds are increasingly confident they will get their man after agreeing a world record £66million fee with Roma for the Brazilian number one.

And that has left Sarri and his Chelsea bosses desperately scratching around for other options as they look to bring in a new first choice keeper.

Current number one Thibaut Courtois is entering the final year of his contract and showing no sign of agreeing to commit his long-term future to the Blues.

That has left Chelsea reluctantly accepting they may have to flog the Belgian to Real Madrid for £35m this summer or risk him leaving without a fee in 12 months.

Before they will sanction any sale they need to have a replacement for Courtois lined up and 25-year-old Alisson had been their preferred option.

But the club have delayed making a move despite holding a long-standing interest and that looks certain to cost them dear.

For Jurgen Klopp has nipped in prepared to make Alisson the most expensive keeper in history, and the player himself is now almost certain to make the move to Anfield.

The added incentive of Champions League football has been one of the deciding factors as Chelsea's poor form last season comes back to haunt them.

So Sarri faces a choice of who to target instead - and reports in the Italian media suggest one option could be AC Milan teenager Donnarumma.

The San Siro club are in a position where they need to sell to resolve financial issues, and Donnarumma himself has been unsettled for the past two years at the club.

Chelsea have long been linked with the 19-year-old, although doubts remain whether he is ready yet to be first choice at Stamford Bridge.

Another potential option is Leicester's Kasper Schmeichel, who built on his reputation with a series of impressive displays at the World Cup.

Schmeichel would cost at least £50m, and Donnarumma could be available for £20m less than that. There is also the outside chance the Blues could re-sign Petr Cech, who is no longer first choice at Arsenal.