Chelsea identify Juventus' Mario Mandzukic as transfer target after failure to land Everton star Romelu Lukaku

Chelsea are considering a move to sign Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic in the summer transfer window. Antonio Conte is looking to bolster his strike force for the 2016/17 season and has already weighed the options in the market.

Everton star and former Blues striker Romelu Lukaku was a priority target for the Italian boss, according to the Mirror. However, Ronald Koeman's side are unwilling to let the Belgium international leave the Goodison Park, despite strong interest from his former club.

The west London club were confident they could re-sign Lukaku, two years after allowing him to leave Stamford Bridge on a permanent transfer. Everton remains confident their striker will continue with them beyond the current transfer window.

Chelsea's failure to land Lukaku has forced them to look elsewhere as the former Juventus manager seeks to strengthen his attacking division. Conte has Diego Costa as the first choice striker in the squad, while summer signing Michy Batshuayi can also be deployed in that position.

Conte is set to return to his former club as he has set his sights on landing Mandzukic. The Blues are looking to bring a striker who can improve their strike force as they look to challenge the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United in the title race.

The Croatian international joined the Serie A winners from Atletico Madrid last summer. After spending one season with the Turin club, the former Bayern Muncih striker is open to the idea of leaving the Italian outfit.

Mandzukic scored 10 goals and registered four assists in 27 league appearances for Juventus in the 2015/16 season. Any move from Chelsea for the striker would cost them £25m ($32.6m), which is one third of Lukaku's asking price of £75m ($97.8m), as reported by the Liverpool Echo.