When you’re out shopping in the summer sales, you have to be decisive or the consequences can be dire. Antonio Conte is like a man who has a tried on a lovely jumper in All Saints, reduced from £119.99 to £59.99 and it fits him perfectly (it’s a figure-hugging S), but then decided to keep on shopping to see if he can find something better. He doesn’t, but when he goes back to All Saints the jumper is gone! So he trudges disconsolately to Next and gets his second choice pullover – £74.99 (not in the sale) and not even that nice.

It’s lose-lose. Which is exactly how Chelsea’s pursuit of Andrea Belotti seems today.

The Mirror reports that the Blues will turn to the Torino striker after appearing to miss out to Manchester United in the race to sign Romelu Lukaku.

The Red Devils tweeted this morning that the striker is set for a medical at Old Trafford – an unprecedented step on a transfer yet to be finalised, but one that seems to end Chelsea’s hopes of landing the Belgian.

Instead, the Blues will reportedly make a move for Belotti, who at £90m will cost more than Lukaku despite his lack of Premier League (or, for that matter, Champions League) pedigree.

Maybe it will just be easier to keep hold of Diego Costa instead. No, really.

The Sun says the prickly Spanish Brazilian, who was dumped by Conte via text message last month, is ready to have “showdown talks” with his manager with a view to reviving his Stamford Bridge career.

In shopping terms, this would be akin to Conte deciding not to buy any new jumpers and just continuing to wear his trusty old one, even though it had a hole in the armpit. Not ideal.

Very childish

United, by contrast, are splashing out on a wardrobe revamp. As well as being on the verge of a £75m deal for Lukaku (which could rise to £90m, according to the Guardian) they are giving Wayne Rooney £15m just to leave the club.

The Mail says the Roonster will take a 50 per cent pay cut to join Everton, with United paying up the final year of his current £300,000-a-week deal.

READ MORE: Lukaku to Manchester United: Why Belgium striker can be Mourinho’s new Drogba

Jose Mourinho’s side will then aim to spend another £50m acquiring Eric Dier from Tottenham, says the Telegraph. The England midfielder’s transfer has apparently been made more likely by Chelsea vetoing United’s proposed move for Nemanja Matic in the wake of the two clubs’ Lukaku squabble. How very childish.

Elsewhere, Riyad Mahrez is “furious” with Leicester for putting a £50m price tag on his head and consequently prompting Arsenal to move for Monaco’s Thomas Lemar instead (Mirror), Crystal Palace want to sign Barcelona’s Dutch goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen (Talksport) and West Ham have “cooled their interest” in signing Manchester City’s £20m-rated keeper Joe Hart (Sun). Torino on loan it is then.

@darlingkevin