Simon Johnson4 August 2016

Antonio Conte has dropped his biggest hint yet that Chelsea are on the verge of a club record deal for Romelu Lukaku.

Standard Sport revealed yesterday that the Belgium international is considering handing in a transfer request at Everton to secure a move back to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea are lodging a final offer of £60m, plus fringe striker Loic Remy going the other way, to convince Everton to sell.

They have set a deadline for the move to be completed by the weekend and are optimistic Everton, who are demanding £75m, will agree to the terms.

There are four weeks to go until the transfer deadline, but Conte told Standard Sport: "I think in the future something can happen with the transfer market, in and out.

"We know that in the future, different changes can happen, both in and out, with the players."

The Blues have been prepared to spend up to £67m on Lukaku, but now they are looking to speed up negotiations by making Remy part of the deal instead.

Remy has been a fringe member of the squad since joining from QPR for £10.5m in 2014 and his first team opportunities are expected to be even more limited next term.

Everton will be short of forwards if they sell Lukaku, but Chelsea hope they will see Remy as an attractive proposition.

The players Antonio Conte wants to transform Chelsea this summer

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Remy, who has scored 11 goals for the club - eight of which were in his first season when Chelsea won the League and League Cup, is still valued at around £10m.

Chelsea will hope that sum will be taken off Lukaku's transfer fee and make it cheaper in terms of funds being used.

It will still comfortably beat the £50m they paid Liverpool for Fernando Torres in 2011 and raise some questions, given they sold Lukaku to Everton for £28m just two years ago.

The hierarchy concede they may have made a mistake letting him go, especially as the 23-year-old has scored 45 goals since 2014.

Lukaku's potential arrival will not see the departure of Diego Costa, who is set to start his first game of Chelsea's USA tour against AC Milan.

Costa has made a full recovery from a minor back problem and has been training fully with the rest of the squad.

The 27-year-old's future has dominated the close season with former club Atletico Madrid wanting to bring him back to Vicente Calderon.

But Chelsea have insisted he is not for sale and Conte wants him to play alongside Lukaku next term.

Conte added: "Diego has recovered from his injury and now he is available for tonight's game against AC Milan.

"I will decide the formation, the starting XI today. But he is available and I am very happy that I can count on him.

"I repeat that Diego Costa is now Chelsea's player and for me this is the most important thing in this moment.

"It is an opportunity to see him play against AC Milan. I repeat, Diego is Chelsea's player and he is very happy to stay with us."

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