Chelsea boss Antonio Conte reveals transfer frustrations as deadline day approaches

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is keen to add to his squad before the transfer window closes – but admits the Blues are unlikely to secure their top targets. The Italian is eager to sign a new defender before the end of August and has recently had bids rejected for Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly and Alessio Romagnoli of AC Milan.

Conte conceded that Chelsea's lofty ambitions in the transfer market make it difficult for them to strike the deals they want. "I hope to improve the squad in the market but we understand our targets are very difficult to reach," Conte said, according to the club's official Twitter account.

Indeed, Conte admitted he is unlikely to sign the players he wants before the window slams shut. "The transfer window is crazy," he reflected. "We will probably not reach our targets in the transfer market."

Earlier this week, Milan revealed they have already rejected a big-money offer from Chelsea for Romagnoli. The Serie A giants said they have no intention of selling the 21-year-old defender, who is considered to be among the brightest prospects in Italian football.

"AC Milan have received a major financial offer from Chelsea for their own player Alessio Romagnoli," the Italians said in a statement on their website. "The Milan player is not for sale, so the proposal will not have any result. We thank Chelsea with who Milan will continue to have excellent sports relations."

Meanwhile, Conte has revealed Brazilian midfielder Willian could feature against Burnley on Saturday (27 August), despite suffering a calf injury. The Chelsea boss also said he expects to see his side improve in the coming weeks, even though they have won each of his first three games in charge.

"We've played three games and won them all but I've told my players we can improve a lot, that's logical," Conte explained ahead of Chelsea's second home fixture of the Premier League season. "Burnley will be very difficult. They are very solid and always ready to counter attack with two good forwards."

Burnley defeated Liverpool at Turf Moor last weekend and Conte is expecting a stiff challenge at Stamford Bridge. "I watched Burnley's game against Liverpool last week and they were fantastic from a physical and tactical aspect," the Chelsea manager explained.