Chelsea
Chelsea Desperate To Tie-Up £38.7m Midfielder Deal Ahead Of Man Utd
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is reportedly ‘desperate’ to complete a £38.7m deal for Manchester United target Joao Mario this summer, according to reports
The opening of the summer transfer window is fast approaching so we’ll bring you all the latest transfer rumours and gossip from around the globe. Today, Chelsea are linked with Man Utd target Joao Mario….
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is reportedly ‘desperate’ to complete a £38.7m deal for Manchester United target Joao Mario this summer, according to the Express.
Mario has excelled since breaking in to the Sporting Lisbon first team in 2014 and chipped in with 6 goals and 11 assists to help them push Benfica all the way in the Primeira Liga title race this season.
Lisbon eventually missed out after finishing two points adrift in second but they have qualified for the Champions League next season – although it remains to be seen whether Mario will be around to take part in Europe’s elite competition.
The Portuguese international’s impressive form has attracted interest from the Premier League with the Express reporting that Chelsea and Manchester United have both shown a keen interest in luring the 23-year-old to England this summer.
In-coming Blues boss Antonio Conte isn’t due to start working full-time at Chelsea until he’s fulfilled his duties with the Italian national team at this summers European Championships but he’s already got his new employers working on transfer targets with Mario seemingly on his radar.
United have reportedly sacked Louis van Gaal today but that doesn’t appear to have dampened the Red Devils interest in Mario as the newspaper says the club could now step-up their interest in the midfielder after missing out on Renato Sanches to Bayern Munich.
The report suggests that United officials were in the stands to watch Lisbon’s final game of the season against Braga last weekend and whoever is in charge at Old Trafford is likely to strengthen their midfield with Michael Carrick tipped to leave when his contract expires next month.
However, the Express claim that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is ‘desperate’ to sign Mario and is prepared to splash out £38.7m – just shy of his £46.4m release clause – to land the midfielder this summer.
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It remains to be seen whether Lisbon would be prepared to do business at under £40m but it would certainly be a tempting offer. Mario is capable of playing in the middle of the park but he’s also comfortable on the right-wing so he’d give Conte plenty of options if he was to join Chelsea.
We’ll have to wait and see how things develop over the coming weeks but it looks as though two of England’s most powerful clubs are ready to battle-it-out over the signing of the Portuguese midfielder this summer.
