Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone says he is not surprise Jan Oblak is attracting interest from Chelsea but hopes the goalkeeper will stay at the club.
Newspaper reports in England and in Spain have linked Oblak to Stamford Bridge and there are claims Kepa Arrizabalaga could be part of a swap deal.
Oblak, who has been a big success since he joined the club from Benfica in 2014, signed a new deal with Atletico Madrid until 2023 last year.
The 27-year-old has been named the best La Liga goalkeeper the last four seasons in a row.
“I am not very surprised because every year at the end of the season all our most important players are under the radar of the most important teams of the world,” Simeone said.
“I think it is normal they are always looking for the best players as we have many in our team.
“In previous seasons, some players left the club and others remained, but I think it is logical a player like Oblak is wanted by many teams.
“He is our captain and a very important player in the last few years. I hope he can continue with us because he is very important for Atletico Madrid.”
Chelsea have already moved swiftly in the transfer market to sign Germany international Timo Werner from RB Leipzig for £45m and Morroco international Hakim Ziyech from Ajax for more than £33m.
Last summer’s transfer ban and a surprisingly quiet January window left Chelsea in a financially strong position to move for their prime targets.
Chelsea are the favourites to sign Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen this summer, but are not willing to pay the £90m asking price.
