Atalanta central midfielder Bryan Cristante has opened the door to a move to Chelsea by declaring he is keen on playing in the Premier League.
Portuguese newspaper Record reported earlier this month that the Blues and Manchester United were tracking the Italian international. Speaking to the Corriere della Sera (translated by Football-Italia.net), the 22 year old did little to quell the speculation:
“My summer market will depend on the next five months with Atalanta. I don’t rule out the Premier League one day though, I like it and I think it would suit my technical and physical qualities.”
Cristante is currently on loan at Atalanta from Benfica for the rest of the season. Italian teams Juventus, Inter Milan and Napoli are all also said to be interested in the player, but his latest comments suggest a permanent return to Serie A is not his top priority.
The Italian started life in AC Milan’s youth setup, but made the switch to Portugal in 2014. He has been loaned out to Palermo and Pescara in recent seasons but his time at Atalanta has been by far his most successful loan spell to date.
After scoring in the 3-0 win over Sassuolo at the weekend, Cristante now has ten goals from 27 appearances in all competitions this campaign.