Chelsea are worried Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could snub a £40million move to the Stamford Bridge.
The Blues have already agreed a transfer fee (£35m upfront plus £5m in add-ons) with Arsenal over a move for the England midfielder but the player is yet to agree personal terms with the Premier League champions before the transfer is complete.
And Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are eagerly waiting to hijack the move, and the Blues have grown nervous with just a day left for the transfer window to shut shop.
Oxlade-Chamberlain, was still with his England team-mates, training at their St George’s Park base last night – having not asked permission to leave for holding talks with the Chelsea bosses.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp wants to offer the former Southampton player a crucial role at the heart of the Reds midfield, and it is known to all that the central midfield is his preferred position.
But former Juventus boss Antonio Conte wants to play the versatile player as a wing-back.
FootTheBall sources reveal that the Reds bosses have held talks with his representatives and are planning a late bid to hijack the midfielder from under Chelsea’ s noses.
Conte has to persuade the 24-year-old winger that making a switch to the Premier League champions Chelsea is the correct move at this point of his footballing career.
But Liverpool have made a huge push to sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from under the noses of Chelsea.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has turned down a new £180,000-a-week deal at Arsenal and informed the club that he wants to leave.
The England winger met with chief executive Ivan Gazidis and Gunners boss Arsene Wenger on Thursday to hold showdown talks over his future.
And now sources close to the player have told FootTheBall, that the former Southampton man has rejected the new contract extension on the table and made it clear that he wants to move away before the transfer window closes on Thursday.
Antonio Conte is desperate to defend the Premier League title and has stepped up his pursuit of Oxlade-Chamberlain in the recent weeks in order to bolster his squad.
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has been guaranteed by the club’s board that he will have at least two more new players before the summer transfer window closes.
Oxlade-Chamberlain, 23, has entered the final 12 months of his Gunners contract.
Conte wants to sign Oxlade-Chamberlain as he believes that he will need more players with a Champions League campaign knocking at the door.
Liverpool have also showed huge interest in signing the England star having sealed a place in the Champions League group stage, and it is seems that there will be a bidding war between the Premier League giants.
Chelsea remain in pole position to sign Oxlade-Chamberlain but face a frantic next 24 hours as they battle to get the deal over the line.
But Gunners insiders claim that the North London club is willing to do business with Chelsea rather than Liverpool because of the fallout over their Luis Suarez bid.
In 2013, the Gunners had launched a £40m and one pound offer to activate the buy-out clause of Suarez – and it had not gone down well with the Reds hierarchy.
But there is still a chance that the England star may see out his contract at Arsenal by staying put for one more season.