Chelsea have hit a stumbling block in their chase to land Argentine midfielder Leandro Paredes, who has been eyed by the Blues as a replacement for their departed midfield ace Cesc Fabregas.
According to the Express, Zenit Saint Petersburg, the club that Paredes currently plays for, have rejected the opening bid made by the west London club to bring the player to Stamford Bridge in the January transfer window.
Reportedly, Maurizio Sarri’s side tabled a bid of £26.8million to land the player but the Russian side have not agreed to let their star player leave for the aforementioned amount as they are looking to make a significant profit on the £24million they spent on the player while signing him from AS Roma.
The reports also say that the Blues are determined to secure the signature of the player to stabilise their midfield and might come back with a higher bid to land the player. Reportedly, the west London club are set to offer the Argentine ace a four year long deal on £80,000 per year.
Paredes has himself suggested that he is interested in leaving Zenit but he might prefer a move back to his boyhood club Boca Juniors in Argentina. However, with Maurizio Sarri admitting that he is in need of some experienced players in his side after Fabregas’ departure, the Blues might be in the hunt to strike a deal to get the player to Stamford Bridge.
