Chelsea table £55m bid for Marco Verratti as PSG ponder selling the Italian

CHELSEA are desperately trying to persuade Marco Verratti to join boss Antonio Conte’s quest for more silverware.

SunSport understands that the Premier League champions have made an offer of £55million to Paris Saint Germain for the Italy midfielder.

However, Verratti, 24, has told PSG he wants to stay in Paris and will reject the Blues’ offer in a bid to improve his current deal of £120,000 a week.

Former Italy manager Conte sees Verratti as a way to increase his creative options next season.

Over the course of this season, the Blues’ boss relied on N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic to control possession. But faced with the dual challenge of domestic and European football next term, Conte wants more tactical flexibility.

Verratti has been compared to Italy legend Andrea Pirlo in terms of his play-making ability — something Conte believes his current squad lacks.

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The Italian manager is determined to boost his options this summer but Verratti is proving harder to sign than anticipated.

Despite PSG finishing only a poor second to Monaco in the French League, Verratti is happy in France and signed a new five-year deal only last January.

The main sticking point is a guarantee of game time — as Verratti is unsure about what role he will fill at Stamford Bridge if he signs.