Chelsea Nears Snatching Marco Balestra Deal from Inter

Chelsea is close to reaching an agreement to sign Marco Balestra, the Atalanta player, in a major deal during the summer transfer window, amid direct competition with Inter Milan, according to Italian press reports.

The player was previously close to moving to Inter Milan, especially after negotiations progressed with Atalanta, which was ready to accept an offer of 45 million euros plus 5 million euros in incentives.

Inter Milan also made a personal offer to the player estimated at about 2.5 million euros annually, in an attempt to finalize the deal in their favor.

However, Chelsea entered the negotiations strongly, raising its offer to 55 million euros plus 5 million euros in incentives, along with offering a higher salary to the player compared to what Inter offered.

According to what was reported by 'Sky Sport Italia' and 'La Gazzetta dello Sport', Chelsea's financial offer at the salary level ranges between 5 and 6 million euros annually with a contract extending for five years.

Despite Chelsea's progress in the negotiations, no official announcement has yet been made by the concerned clubs regarding the completion or finalization of the deal, as negotiations are still ongoing between the different parties.

The same sources indicate that Chelsea's offer for the transfer value clearly surpasses Inter's offer, making the English club currently the closest to securing the player's signature, without official confirmation so far.