Football
Liam Twomey, Chelsea correspondent 8y

Chelsea move would be a 'dream' for Emanuele Giaccherini - agent

It would be a "dream" for Sunderland midfielder Emanuele Giaccherini to join Antonio Conte at Chelsea this summer, according to the player's agent.

After winning two Serie A titles and a Coppa Italia in two seasons under Conte at Juventus, Giaccherini's career stalled when he left for Sunderland in a £6.5 million deal in July 2013, and he made just 43 appearances in all competitions across two years for the Black Cats before being sent on loan to Bologna.

But the 31-year-old versatile midfielder has returned to prominence as a key figure in Conte's Italy team at Euro 2016, scoring a slick opening goal in the Azzurri's impressive 2-0 victory over Group E rivals Belgium in Lyon.

Giaccherini is expected to leave the Stadium of Light permanently this summer if a suitable buyer can be found, and agent Furio Valcareggi believes his client's good working relationship with Conte -- who will take over as Chelsea first team head coach next month -- could make Stamford Bridge a viable destination.

"Giaccherini is a player who played 80 percent of the games for a Juventus that had [Paul] Pogba, [Andrea] Pirlo, [Arturo] Vidal and [Claudio] Marchisio in the midfield," Valcareggi told Sky Italia.

"Conte likes him a lot and Chelsea would be a dream. It's still too early to talk about his future. After the Euros, whoever wants to buy him will not have to pay a high price to Sunderland."

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