Chelsea transfer news: Juventus make last-ditch attempt to sign Axel Witsel — with Nemanja Matic and Blaise Matuidi as back-up options

JUVENTUS are preparing one final offer for Zenit St. Peterburg’s Axel Witsel in January — with Nemanja Matic and Blaise Matuidi as back-up options, according to reports in Italy.

The Belgian came close to moving to the Serie A champions on the final day of the summer’s transfer window but a deal fell through.

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Witsel has less than one year left on his contract with the Russian club and has already decided he will not be staying beyond the June expiry date.

And report Juve will return with a take-it-or-leave-it £5.5million bid in in the next window.

If the Serie A leaders fail to land their man, they will wait until the summer and snap him up on a free.

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The situation will be a blow to Zenit as they agreed a £25m fee with Everton over the sale of Witsel in the summer — only for the 27-year-old to turn the move down.

Juventus are in desperate need of a midfielder, having lost Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Paul Pogba in the last two seasons.

And Gazzetta add that a failure to land Witsel in January would see Max Allegri turn to either Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic or Paris Saint-Germian’s Blaise Matuidi, whose agent, Mino Raiola, enjoys a strong relationship with Juventus.

It is another Stamford Bridge midfielder which the Bianconceri boss truly wants — but any move for Cesc Fabregas would have to be put on hold until the summer.