Arsenal
Man Utd Steal March On Arsenal & Chelsea With £28m Defender Bid
Manchester United have stolen a march on Arsenal and Chelsea after tabling a £28m offer for AS Roma centre-back Kostas Manolas, 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, Man Utd are linked with Kostas Manolas….
Manchester United have stolen a march on Arsenal and Chelsea after tabling a £28m offer for AS Roma centre-back Kostas Manolas, according to a report in the Mirror.
Manolas has just come off the back of an outstanding campaign with Roma and has forged a reputation as one of the best central defenders in Serie A since joining the club from Olympiakos two years ago.
The Greek international’s potential has caught the attention of several clubs in the Premier League with the Mirror claiming that Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United have all been showing a keen interest in the defender this summer.
It looks as though United have now stolen a march on their domestic rivals as the newspaper is citing Italian journalist Emanuale Giulianelli as saying that the Red Devils have tabled an opening £28m bid for Manolas.
Jose Mourinho splashed out on young Ivory Coast defender Eric Bailly earlier this month but it’s understood the Portuguese coach also wants to bring in a more established name to play alongside Chris Smalling next season and it appears Manolas is on his radar.
However, Giulianelli – who works for Gazzetta dello Sport – claims that Roma have rejected United’s offer and are hoping to persuade Manolas to sign a new contract extension that would keep him at the Stadio Olimpico, so there is still plenty of work left to do before a deal is completed.
It remains to be seen whether the 25-year-old will commit his future to Roma but for now it looks as though United are going to have to increase their offer and the door is still open for the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea to try and hijack a deal for Manolas.
Arsene Wenger needs a reliable partner for Laurent Koscielny as neither Per Mertesacker or Gabriel have made the position their own and the Gunners have long been linked with Manolas so they could step-up their interest in the Greek star over the coming weeks.
Incoming Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is expected to bring in a long-term replacement for John Terry as he prepares to adopt a new three-man defence at Stamford Bridge next season and Manolas could be the perfect man for the job.
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We’ll have to wait and see how thing develop over the coming weeks but I think Manolas would be an excellent signing for any of the three Premier League clubs understood to be in the running for his signature.
