Chelsea aim to sign Fernando Llorente Wednesday but relying on Manchester City to do business with Swansea first

The Blues are still £3m short of Swansea's valuation for Llorente

Chelsea are aiming to conclude a deal for Fernando Llorente on Wednesday, although there is still a distance between them and Swansea City in terms of price, and any purchase is still dependent on Wilfried Bony's return to the Liberty Stadium from Manchester City.

The defending Premier League champions have had an initial bid of around £12m for the Spanish international rejected, with Swansea holding out for over £15m, although that already represents a shift in position and a move is now seen by those close to the player as "almost inevitable".

Once a fee is agreed, Swansea will move in for Bony for the same price.

Manager Antonio Conte has been keen to offer another back-up to Alvaro Morata up front, and Llorente offers an ideal alternative. He has worked with both Conte and Morata in the past, at Juventus, and is seen as something of a mentor to the younger Spanish striker.

Chelsea meanwhile retain an interest in Everton's Ross Barkley and are likely to make a move over the final 36 hours of the window, although that could be dependent on Diego Costa going in the other direction.