No Sarri, yes Seri? Chelsea given boost to sign Ivorian midfielder

Bengaluru, June 7: For those who are confused, Chelsea’s pursuit of Maurizio Sarri as their next manager may be stalled at the moment, but they have received a boost in their chase of Nice midfielder Jean Michael Seri as fellow London rivals Arsenal ended their interest in the 26-year old. The Blues now lead the race to get him to the Premier League in the summer transfer window.

Seri has developed into a key player for Nice since signing from Portuguese outfit Pacos de Ferreira, playing 121 games for the club in all competitions. He garnered a lot of attention from PL clubs like Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United. But the Red Devils signing Fred and Diogo Dalot meant that they were no more interested in the OGC Nice man and even Arsenal are now unlikely to pursue a summer deal for him. Chelsea are in the clear now, but will have to offload a few names to acquire the £70mn signing.

Jean Michael Seri vs Ajax

Simple and effective passing, the midfielder suited for possession football https://t.co/NmN44ChXGm

— Leo Sat (@ItsMrBlueGuy) June 6, 2018

Reportedly, Danny Drinkwater is the first name that the FA Cup Champions are planning to offload. Drinkwater signed for Chelsea a year after he won the Premier League title with Leicester. But since then, he has struggled to find regular starts and playing time at the Blues' setup. He has made just five PL starts for Chelsea. His situation will be worsened with the expected arrival of Seri, which gives another reason for him to switch club. Reports suggest Chelsea are ready to listen to any offers and could be willing to loan out Drinkwater as well.

Meanwhile, Seri is reportedly in advanced talks with Chelsea over a move to Stamford Bridge with Roman Abramovich eager to land him.

Christian Ollivier of RTLFrance tweeted: "Jean-Michael Seri, in very advanced contact with Chelsea. Even without a coach named so far. Personal choice of Abramovich."

The Ivorian will not be participating in the Russia World Cup as Ivory Coast failed to qualify for the tournament.