Chelsea Tipped To Trump Liverpool & Man Utd With £46m Midfielder Bid

The summer transfer window is now open for business so we’ll bring you all the latest transfer rumours and gossip from around the globe. Today, more on the future of Joao Mario….

Chelsea have stepped up their interest in Liverpool and Manchester United target Joao Mario and are lining-up a £46m bid for the Sporting Lisbon midfielder, according to the Sun.

Mario has developed in to one of the best midfielders in Portugal since breaking in to the Sporting first team in 2014 and scored 6 goals and provided 11 assists to help them push Benfica all the way in the Primeira Liga title race last season.

The midfielder continued his excellent form in to this summers European Championships and Mario featured six times as Portugal lifted the trophy with a shock 1-0 win over France last weekend.

The 23-year-old has caught the attention of some Premier League clubs with the Mirror reporting earlier this week that Liverpool and Manchester United are showing a keen interest in signing the player this summer.

Jurgen Klopp has been busy putting his own stamp on the Liverpool squad but the German coach has seemingly identified Mario as a potential new recruit with Jordon Ibe heading to Bournemouth and Joe Allen tipped to leave Anfield over the coming weeks.

Jose Mourinho has also been extremely active in the transfer market this summer as he revamps the squad left behind by Louis van Gaal and the new United boss is also eyeing Mario as he looks to strengthen his midfield options ahead of next season.

However, it looks as though Liverpool and United will now face stiff competition as the Sun claim that Chelsea have stepped up their interest in Mario and are lining-up a £46m offer for the midfielder.

New boss Antonio Conte is gearing up for a busy few weeks as he tries to mold the squad he’s inherited to suit the 3-5-2 formation the Italian tactician is expected to deploy this coming season and Mario appears to be a part of his plans.

The Sporting star is predominantly played out on the wing as an attacking midfielder but he’s also capable of playing in the middle of the park so he’d give Conte plenty of interest if he does end up making the move to Stamford Bridge.

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We’ll have to wait and see if this reported £46m bid comes to fruition but until Chelsea get a deal agreed there is still time for the likes of Liverpool or United to formalise their interest in the Portuguese international.