Chelsea set for striker talks

Chelsea could this week open talks with Wilfried Bony as the Vitesse Arnhem star will arrive in England to find a new club.



The 24-year-old striker, who has just finished as top scorer in the Dutch top-flight with 31 goals for Vitesse, is widely expected to leave this summer and has been attracting attention from around Europe, with Chelsea among the clubs known to be keen.



The likes of Liverpool and West Ham have all also been linked with Bony in the past, while Russian giants Anzhi Makhachkala have already made at least one big-money offer for the Ivory Coast ace.



Now there are claims that Bony and his agent are set to travel to England this week to speak to several interested parties and attempt to hammer out a move to the Premier League.



It is thought Vitesse rate Bony at around £15million and will entertain offers for the talented front man, who has made it clear he wants to leave in search of a new challenge.



Chelsea will be in the hunt for at least one new attacker this summer, with Edinson Cavani and Andre Schurrle also known to be high on their wanted list.

Wednesday's round up of the top transfer stories

- Vitesse Arnhem have issued a hands-off warning to clubs interested in Liverpool and Chelsea target Wilfried Bony.



Chelsea are chasing German striker Andre Schurrle - in case Rafa Benitez needs more help sorting out Fernando Torres, according to Mirror.



- Chelsea’s teenage midfielder Conor Hunte is wanted by Manchester United, according to Dailymail.



- Brazilian full-back Wallace claims he is on the verge of joining European champions Chelsea either in the January transfer window or next summer.



- Arsenal and Manchester United have been alerted after it was revealed that Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mario Gotze has a release clause of £30million.



- Arsenal defender Andre Santos has confirmed a number of Turkish clubs have enquired about his possible availability.



- Benfica will sell misfit forward Nolito in January - and Liverpool are rumoured to be keen.



- Man Utd have stepped up their interest in Torino defender Angelo Ogbonna, according to the Daily Mirror.



- Manchester United are on red alert after Dutch star Kevin Strootman set his sights on a move to the Premier League.



- Newcastle have joined the race for combative Anderlecht defender Cheikhou Kouyate, according to talkSPORT.



- Newcastle target Nemanja Gudelj is expected to stay at NAC Breda after his own father was named as the club's new boss.



- Aston Villa have been rebuffed in a bid to sign defender Abdoulaye Ba on loan from Porto.



- Aston Villa target Cyril Thereau has revealed he has been sounded out by Fiorentina - but says he is committed to current club Chievo Verona.



- Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic thinks his Bosnia-Herzegovina team-mate Miralem Pjanic has the right qualities to succeed in England.



- On-loan striker Romelu Lukaku is confident he will remain at West Brom for the remainder of the season - rather than return to his parent club Chelsea in January.



- Norwich boss Chris Hughton is weighing up a January move for Scotland striker Leigh Griffiths.



- Inter Milan are not interested in re-signing unsettled Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli in January, according to club president Massimo Moratti.



- The agent of AC Milan striker Alexandre Pato insists the striker is happy at Milan despite rumours linking him with a move to the Premier League or back to his native Brazil.



- Shakhtar Donetsk playmaker Willian, who has been linked with Chelsea and Tottenham, has emerged as a target for Manchester City, according to the Daily Mirror.



- Malaga insist highly-coveted youngster Isco, who is wanted by Manchester United and Manchester City, is on course to sign a new long-term deal at the Spanish club.



- Daniele De Rossi will snub interest from Manchester City and Chelsea if he decides to leave Roma, according to sources in Italy.



- Inter Milan are poised to beat Spurs and Manchester United to the signature of Udinese defender Mehdi Benatia.

Wilfried Bony linked with Blues

Chelsea are believed to have entered the race to sign Vitesse Arnhem star Wilfried Bony when the transfer window re-opens.



Blues boss Roberto Di Matteo is known to be in the hunt for another striker and could turn to Bony, who has bagged 30 goals in just 46 appearances for the Dutch club.



The 23-year-old is attracting plenty of interest with Newcastle, Udinese and Napoli all thought to be keen on doing a deal and now Chelsea have been added to that list.



It is thought the Dutch club would cash in for a fee in the region of £8million and that is a significantly less than the £46million it would take to lure Radamel Falcao away from Atletico Madrid.