Chelsea 'make their move' for Monaco's Bernardo Silva to kick-off wave of summer transfer activity

The highly-rated Portugal international is wanted by a number of clubs across Europe and could trigger a Spanish tug-of-war between Real Madrid and Barcelona

Bernardo Silva is attracting interest from Chelsea along with other leading clubs across Europe (Getty)

Chelsea are reported to have opened preliminary talks with Monaco over a summer transfer for Bernardo Silva, with the highly-rated Portugal international expected to leave the Ligue 1 side this year when the transfer window reopens.

The 22-year-old attacking midfielder has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge as well as the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid, though Monaco currently value him at around €80m [£68.4m] that could go a long way to fending off any interested parties.

One side who haven’t been perturbed though appears to be Chelsea, with The Times reporting on Monday that talks have already taken place between the Premier League side and Monaco over a proposed move. However, while Chelsea appear to be making the first move for Bernardo, it could be part of a long-winded transfer plan that will trigger a number of deals in the summer.

Chelsea have also been linked with Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez, with the report adding that Real see Bernardo as a fitting replacement for the Colombia international after growing unsettled this season with his lack of regular first-team football.

A Spanish tug-of-war could also develop given that the report adds that Barcelona are monitoring Bernardo due to the uncertainty that currently surrounds Neymar’s future. The Brazil international has been linked with a potential Nou Camp exit, with both Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United showing previous interest in the 25-year-old, and Barcelona’s impending Champions League exit will not have helped their chances of persuading him to stay in Catalonia.

But with Chelsea appearing to make the first move for Bernardo, it appears that Roman Abramovich is already preparing plans for life after Diego Costa. The Brazil-born Spain international looks likely to leave Chelsea after pushing for a move during the recent January transfer window, and although he has since settled his spat with manager Antonio Conte, it still look likely that Costa could go in the summer with a second Premier League title in three years in the bag, should Chelsea convert their eight-point lead into silverware come the end of the season.

Chelsea were only willing to sell Costa for around £130m last month, with interest coming from China, but while the lucrative move to the Far East remains on the cards come the end of the season, a return to Spain still appears to be the most likely option for the forward.