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Conte unsure on January transfer targets

Cape Town - Chelsea manager Antonio Conte says he is in the dark regarding potential recruitment's the club might be making in January.

The Blues could well choose to add to their squad mid-season after Conte publicly gave up hope of retaining their Premier League title by gaining ground on Manchester City, who already hold an 11-point lead over the reigning champions with a game in hand.

"I don’t know what will happen in January," Conte insisted. "January now is far.

"In December we have to play a lot of games. In January it’s the same. I don’t know, I don’t know because in January you have to wait for the right time to adapt them [new players] in our idea of football.

"Now we have to face this solution with these players. We have to be ready to fight. We have to be ready to face this situation with the right desire.

"I don’t like to look too far, and to find solutions that at this moment are not possible. I have to be realistic, we have to face this situation with these players.

"I’m happy to play with these players. January is too far and I don’t know what will happen in January.

"I’m the coach, I can give my opinion, but the club has to take the best decision in the summer, in January, next summer. It’s normal this."

Chelsea's pre-season arrivals included Alvaro Morata, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Antonio Rudiger, Danny Drinkwater, and Davide Zappacosta; while those to depart included Nemanja Matic and Diego Costa.

The latest transfer rumours involving the Blues have seen them linked to Everton's Ross Barkley, Monaco winger Thomas Lemar, and a renewed interest in Juventus full-back Alex Sandro.

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