Premier League giants after Vazquez, says Palermo president

Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini has revealed Premier League champions Chelsea want to sign Franco Vazquez in January.

Chelsea are likely to be one of the most active teams in the winter transfer market as they look to strengthen their squad following a poor start to the campaign.

Vazquez, 26, has arguably been Palermo’s best player since the start of last season and Zamparini has revealed that Chelsea, as well as Inter and Milan, have shown an interest in the attacking midfielder.

“Vazquez is the best Italian trequartista at the moment,” Zamparini told Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli.

“No-one can turn their nose up when he’s compared to [Michel] Platini. He’s a player in great demand, and if he continues to perform as he has been I think this will be his last season in the pink.

“Milan, Inter and Chelsea want him as soon as the winter transfer window, but no-one will move in January.”

Since the start of last season, only Miralem Pjanić (15) has registered more assists than Vazquez (14) and ranks among the top 10 rated players to have made 10 appearances across Europe's top five leagues in this period (7.77).

For more stats on Franco Vazquez, click here to visit his WhoScored player page