Chelsea are stepping up the gear to sign their top midfield target this month after increasing their bid by £4.4 million.
The Blues had initially opened negotiations for Leandro Paredes with a £26.8m bid but after Zenit St. Petersburg dragged their feet on the negotiations, Chelsea have increased the bid to £31.2m. According to the Evening Standard, Chelsea may have to go further for a positive response from the Russian giants as they value their star midfielder at £36m.
The 24-year old is expected to arrive at Stamford Bridge to replace Cesc Fabregas who departed to AS Monaco this month after contract extension negotiations failed.
Maurizio Sarri’s side are willing to pay Paredes a weekly wage of £80,000, a proposition they hope will convince the Argentina international to look away from rejoining Boca Juniors in South America.
Chelsea are still hoping to tie up a deal for a player to join them this month after Christian Pulisic’s deal means he will only arrive at the club next summer after a six-month loan deal at Borussia Dortmund.
