Conte willing to part with this Chelsea star in bid to land Italian defender

Chelsea are willing to offer Eden Hazard to Juventus as part of a mammoth bid to secure the signing of defender Leonardo Bonucci, according to The Sun.

Blues boss Antonio Conte is on the lookout for defensive reinforcements after seeing his Chelsea side concede nine goals in their first seven Premier League games, and has targeted Italian defender Bonucci as the answer to those issues.

Last week, 47-year-old Conte was given the green light by owner Roman Abramovich to sign the centre-back, but interest from Premier League rivals Manchester City, alongside Juve’s demands, may force the Blues to part with more than just money.

Consequently, the Chelsea manager may offer Hazard to the Italian side, despite it being originally reported that Cesc Fabregas would be the man to move to Turin.

Belgium international Hazard endured a miserable season last time out, netting just four times in the league – all this after having won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award for the 2014/15 season, in which he scored 14 goals to help the Blues win the Premier League title.

Letting Hazard go in January may be a surprise to many, given his previous Premier League credentials, and the fact that he started this season well with two goals in the first three league games.

However, Conte is clearly not yet sold on the 25-year-old, and sees centre-half Bonucci as a more important player to his team, especially with how vulnerable the Chelsea defence has looked in recent weeks.

Juventus may still prefer the initial option of taking Fabregas from Stamford Bridge, such is his greater ability to play in their system, but the offer of Hazard shows just how much Conte wants to land 29-year-old Bonucci.