Chelsea refuse to give up on landing Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero this summer.

The Times says Chelsea indicated in June that they were prepared to break the British transfer record by paying up to £45 million for Agüero, the 21-year-old Argentina forward, but their interest cooled after they learnt from his agent, José Seguí, that he was demanding a weekly salary of £100,000 net.

Intermediaries have since given encouragement that a deal may be possible, but Chelsea remain cautious about their prospects of pulling off a deal that would increase their firepower while also bringing down the average age of the team.