Chelsea

Liverpool Join Chelsea & Man Utd In Race To Sign Powerhouse Midifelder

Liverpool have joined the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United in the race to sign a powerhouse international midfielder this summer.

by
Fraser Crawford
July 2, 2016

The opening of the summer transfer window is now open so we’ll bring you all the latest transfer rumours and gossip from around the globe. Today, Liverpool join the race for Axel Witsel…

Liverpool have joined the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United in the race to sign Belgian international midfielder Axel Witsel this summer, according to the Express.

Witsel made his name at Standard Liege and Benfica before sealing a move to Zenit St Petersburg in 2012 in a deal worth in excess of £30m and he’s been a big hit in Russia having helped the club lift the Russia Premier League title and Russia Cup.

The 27-year-old has constantly been linked with a move back to one of Europe’s top league’s over the past four years and the speculation has intensified this summer with the Express claiming that Chelsea and Manchester United are among the clubs showing a keen interest.

Incoming Blues boss Antonio Conte is gearing up for a busy summer as he looks to revamp the Chelsea squad with a new midfield enforcer expected to be on his agenda and it appears Witsel is on the Italian tacticians radar.

Jose Mourinho has already been busy in the transfer market with Henrikh Mkhitaryan joining Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Eric Bailly in moving to Old Trafford this summer but the Portuguese coach is expected to target a central midfielder next and Witsel would add the physicality he’s looking for.

However, it looks as though Chelsea and United are going to face more competition as the Express are citing reports coming out of Italy that claim Liverpool have now joined the chase for the Belgian international’s signature.

Jurgen Klopp has already splashed out on four new signings this summer with attacker Sadio Mane his latest addition but the German coach is in the market for another central midfielder and it seems he’s now got his eye on Witsel.

The Premier League trio were boosted in their pursuits last week after the Belgian ace confirmed that he wants to leave Zenit and has his eye on coming to England. Witsel is quoted as saying by the Express:

“I want to leave Zenit,”

“My future may be in Italy or England.

“It does not matter if I go to Serie A or the Premier League, if they’re a great club.”

We’ll have to wait and see how things progress over the coming weeks but Witsel would be an excellent signing for either Chelsea, United or Liverpool as he’s a powerful box-to-box midfielder who should have no problem adapting to life in the Premier League.

I’ve also seen reports suggesting the likes of Everton and Napoli are also keen on the midfielder so the competition is fierce but any negotiations over a potential transfer away from Russia should be accelerated after Belgian were knocked out of Euro 2016 by Wales last night meaning Witsel will be available to hold talks with interested clubs.