Chelsea
Chelsea Join Man Utd In Race For €41m-Rated Brazilian Attacker
Chelsea have joined Man Utd in the race for €41m-rated Lazio forward Felipe Anderson with both clubs sending scouts to watch the Brazilian in recent weeks
The January transfer window is now closed but that won’t stop the newspapers from speculating ahead of the summer so we’ll bring you all the news and gossip. Today, Chelsea join Man Utd in the race for Felipe Anderson….
Chelsea have joined Manchester United in the race for €41m-rated Lazio forward Felipe Anderson with both clubs sending scouts to watch the Brazilian in recent weeks, according to reports.
Anderson only moved to Lazio from Santos in the summer of 2013 but has enjoyed his breakthrough year this season with his 10 goals and 8 assists helping the club challenge at the top of the Serie A table.
His impressive form has attracted interest from the Premier League with reports earlier this week suggesting that Manchester United chief scout Jim Lawlor was in the stands to watch the 21-year-old score during a 2-0 victory over Verona on Sunday.
However, it looks like United are now going to face some stiff competition as the Evening Standard are reporting that Chelsea have also had representatives watch Anderson during games against Torino and Fiorentina in recent weeks.
The Brazilian was rewarded with a new contract not long-term contract not long ago but that doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t be on the move this summer, particularly if Lazio fail to qualify for the Champions League next season.
The Rome club currently sit third in the Serie A table but are just four points ahead of fourth-placed Sampdoria with 10 games left to play, and with just three teams qualifying for Europe’s elite competition in Italy, there is still all to play for.
Lazio are understandably going to be desperate to keep hold of Anderson and the Evening Standard suggest that the likes of Chelsea or United will have to pay somewhere in the region of €41m (£30m) in order to persuade them to cash-in this summer.
That sort of money could be an excellent investment as Anderson is a huge talent who has all the attributes needed to develop his game even further and become a real top class player.
He’s predominantly used as a left-sided attacker by Lazio but he’s also capable of playing anywhere across the front three behind the striker, so he’d give Jose Mourinho or Louis van Gaal plenty of options in attack if he did make the move to either club this summer.
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However, a major stumbling block over any potential deal could be gaining a work permit as Anderson is yet to be capped by the senior Brazilian side, and the FA are trying to introduce new rules to make it harder for foreign players to get permits.
