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Chelsea have opened talks with the representatives of Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic over the possibility of launching a move that would trigger a £31m release clause in his contract, according to reports.
The Times
It’s added that the Blues have begun the initial stages of trying to lure Pjanic to Stamford Bridge after his name was handed to officials at the club by incoming manager Antonio Conte, with the current Italy head coach expected to be named as Guus Hiddink’s successor later this month.
Roma currently sit third in the Serie A table, eight points off leaders and defending champions Juventus, and Pjanic appears to be facing up to yet another season of missing out on the Italian league title since joining the club from French side Lyon in 2011.
Pjanic’s wages would not pose a problem for Chelsea given he is expected to demand around £60,000-a-week, and even though the club look set to miss out on qualification for next season’s Champions League – providing they don’t win the competition this time around – they will have no problems with meeting the £31m buyout clause.
Show all 24 1 /24Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings NORWICH CITY: John Ruddy - 6 out of 10 Couldn't do much with either goal but didn't make another save in the game. Looked assured overall, however.
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Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings Ryan Bennett - 6 out of 10 With Robbie Brady often bombing up the left-wing, Bennett did a good job covering as a left-back and as the third centre-back.
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Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings Russell Martin - 7 out of 10 Organised his defence well and will be disappointed that the assistant referee let his side down - the Diego Costa, ultimately the difference, was definitely offside. Unlucky not to score a late equaliser.
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Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings Timm Klose - 6 out of 10 The 6ft 4in centre-back dealt with the physical threat of Costa well, standing up to him and rarely being beaten, but made a couple of missteps.
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Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings Ivo Pinto - 4 out of 10 Offered little going forward, despite Kenedy being a weak link in defence, and seemed to operate more as a traditional right-back than a wing-back. Allowed Kenedy to glide past him for the opener after 41 seconds - a goal that sucked the life out of Carrow Road.
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Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings Alex Tettey - 4 out of 10 Did his very best to put pressure on Chelsea's midfield but was partly to blame for Chelsea's early goal, barely offering a challenge as Kenedy steamed forward.
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Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings Jonny Howson - 4 out of 10 Booked for a poor tackle in the first-half, Howson wasn't able to get close to Nemanja Matic or Cesc Fabregas, the Spaniard again setting the tempo for the Blues.
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Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings Robbie Brady - 6 out of 10 Always a very hard worker, Brady got up and down the pitch and was one of Norwich's few consistent attacking threats. Involved in a nasty clash with team-mate Gary O'Neil.
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Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings Nathan Redmond - 7 out of 10 Playing centrally seems to be a bit of waste for a telented player who can beat a man one-on-one. With greater numbers in the middle of the pitch the Blues were able to snuff out his threat quickly, although he took his goal extremely well with a good run and finish. Went wide later and looked much more dangerous.
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Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings Wes Hoolahan - 7 out of 10 Has quality but way too inconsistent - even within the course of 90 minutes. Will have spells where he is Norwich's best player and then periods where he doesn't touch the ball for 10 minutes. Then he'll produce the kind of pass from which Redmond scored.
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Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings Cameron Jerome - 4 out of 10 His pace, athleticism and strength will always cause problems for opposing defenders, but strikers must score goals. Only three goals all season, and none since before Christmas, tells its own story, but Jerome missed a couple of half-chances and one glaring opportunity.
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Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings From the bench: Dieudonne Mbokani - 6 out of 10 Norwich looked much more threatening with the big striker as the focal point. The move also allowed Redmond to move out to the right where he caused many more problems.
Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings CHELSEA: Thibaut Courtois - out of 10 Fortunate not to give away an indirect free-kick in the area after handling Cahill's backpass before being beaten at his near post by Redmond's shot. But he superbly made a last-gasp save to deny Martin.
Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings Cesar Azpilicueta - 6 out of 10 Was generally good going forward and tracking back and defending, but could have done more to stop Norwich from sending the ball into the box from his flank.
Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings Gary Cahill - 5 out of 10 Delivered a backpass that Courtois handled but, other than that moment, the defender was solid and stood firm as Norwich pushed for a late equaliser.
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Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings Branislav Ivanovic - 6 out of 10 On his 350th Chelsea appearance, the Serbia international performed well on the whole but disappointingly lost Redmond in build-up to Norwich's goal.
Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings Kenedy - 7 out of 10 Replaced Baba Rahman at left-back and scored his first Premier League goal - and the fastest in the top flight this season - in fine fashion after 41 seconds. However, he was defensively poor, allowing too many Norwich attacks to get past him. Replaced by Rahman.
Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings Nemanja Matic - 5 out of 10 The midfielder did well considering he was making his first start in four games, but was off the pace at times.
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Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings Cesc Fabregas - 5 out of 10 Began the move that led to Kenedy's goal, but needed to press more when not in possession and slowly drifted out of the game as it progressed.
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Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings Bertrand Traore - 7 out of 10 Was handed a starting berth on the right wing and did not disappoint. He was a constant menace for Norwich's defence and did not give away possession, getting an assist for Costa's goal.
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Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings Oscar - 5 out of 10 Linked up well, at times, with his team-mates but failed to have an impact on the game. Was replaced by John Obi Mikel after 60 minutes.
Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings Eden Hazard - 5 out of 10 Created Kenedy's goal, and was superb in winning the ball back and driving Chelsea's attack forward, but saw his impact wane greatly in the second period.
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Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings Diego Costa - 6 out of 10 Scored his 14th goal of the season with a lovely chip over Ruddy, although he was definitely in an offside position when the ball was played.
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Norwich City vs Chelsea - player ratings From the bench: Willian 6 out of 10 Replaced Traore with 30 minutes to go and, again, his work rate urgency in attack showed through as many of his team-mates eased off as the game progressed.
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Conte is believed to have also told the club that he would like them to press on with interest in Pjanic’s Roma team-mate Radja Nainggolan, with the midfielder also expected to be subject of an official bid from the Blues in the summer.
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