Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has thrown in the towel in the club's pursuit of Roma striker Edin Džeko, saying that the Bosnia captain will continue playing for the Serie A team at the end of the January transfer window.

Reports in Italy revealed that negotiations between Džeko and Chelsea were not fruitful, as the two parties could not agree on the conditions in the contract.

The former Manchester City striker had asked for a long-term deal and excessive wages while The Blues were not willing to offer him a deal beyond the end of next season.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday at a press conference, Conte more or less admitted that the deal is off, stating : ''I don’t like to speak about a player from another team. He is a Roma player and I think he will continue to be one.''

Several strikers have been linked with a transfer to the Premier League champions before the close of the window : Olivier Giroud, Fernando Llorente, Ashley Barnes, Andy Carroll, Peter Crouch and Islam Slimani.

Igho Kingsley

Photo Credit : asroma.com