Exclusive: Chelsea make record £60m bid for Real Madrid star after giving up on Lukaku

Is Champions League winner James Rodriguez what Chelsea need?

Blues boss Antonio Conte is desperate to land another front man before the transfer window closes next week but is facing a race against the clock.

It appears that Belgium ace Lukaku is ready is pledge his future to Everton despite telling friends that he had set his heart on a return to West London.

Everton have refused to budge from their £75m valuation of Lukaku who cost them £28m when he moved to Goodison Park from Chelsea two years ago.

Conte last week hit out at the “crazy” state of the transfer market and said that Chelsea were ready to walk away from deals that didn’t represent value for money.

That is what happened to his interest in Lukaku who is Everton appear set to offer him a £130,000 a week pay deal to stay beyond this season.

They are hoping to have better luck with Columbian international Rodriguez, 25, who has been a target for both Arsenal and Manchester United this summer.

Real president Florentino Perez is insisting that James who was the world’s fourth most expensive player in history when they signed him is staying.

But head coach Zinedine Zidane is ready to let Rodriguez leave after he dropped down the pecking order under his leadership.

The Frenchmen knows that selling Rodriguez to Chelsea will give him some funds to spend either in this window or the next on the right player.

Meanwhile Conte will decide in the next few days if he is going to match Napoli’s £60 million asking price for central defender Kalidou Koulibaly.

Conte has already had one £42 million offer for Koulibaly turned down with the Italian side holding out for the buy out price in his contract.