Report: Chelsea won't curb spending with Llorente, Mendy wanted
It took Chelsea a while to get going this summer, but now directors Marina Granovskaia and Michael Emenalo are overseeing some frenzied transfer activity in the English capital.
Alvaro Morata's move from Real Madrid is nearing completion, and he'll join fellow senior newcomers Tiemoue Bakayoko, Antonio Rudiger, and Willy Caballero at Stamford Bridge - but the Blues aren't done there.
Manager Antonio Conte has put Benjamin Mendy and Fernando Llorente atop his wishlist, according to the Evening Standard's Simon Johnson, with Nemanja Matic and Diego Costa likely to leave the club soon.
Kurt Zouma was also sent packing Friday, albeit temporarily as he joined Stoke City on loan after agreeing a new six-year contract with Chelsea.
Mendy would immediately appear to be the most difficult player to welcome aboard. The Monaco left-back has been subject of interest from Manchester City for the whole window, and an expensive deal is close to a conclusion, reports Julien Maynard of Telefoot.
If Chelsea manages to gatecrash City's business, Mendy would offer immediate competition to Marcos Alonso in Conte's 3-4-3 formation, potentially negating the need to bring in £65-million-valued Alex Sandro from Juventus.
Llorente, meanwhile, isn't of the ilk of the Morata nab - the 32-year-old beanpole helped Swansea City avoid relegation into the Championship last season - but is apparently seen as decent backup, and is known to Conte from their time working together at Juventus in the 2013-14 campaign.
As a quintessential aerially dominant target man, Llorente offers a very different skillset to Morata, and would vie with Michy Batshuayi in the deputy striker role.
Chelsea meets Arsenal in the Community Shield at Wembley on Aug. 6, before beginning its Premier League title defence against Burnley six days later.