Man Utd To Steal March On Chelsea With £40m Move For French Midfielder

Managers are now making moves to try and strengthen their squads during the January transfer window so we’ll bring you all the latest gossip from around the globe. Today, more on the future of Tiemoue Bakayoko….

Manchester United are ready to push ahead with a £40m move for Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko in order to try and beat Chelsea to his signature, according to the Daily Star.

Bakayoko has emerged as one of the brightest prospects in European football after establishing himself in the Monaco first team this season having joined the club from Rennes in 2014.

The 22-year-old has caught the eye of several top clubs with the Daily Star claiming that United are now ready to accelerate their plans to sign the midfielder due to Chelsea’s strong interest in the player.

The newspaper says that United had initially planned to go for Bakayoko at the end of the season after Jose Mourinho made him his No.1 summer target but the Red Devils are now ready to launch a £40m bid to sign the youngster this month in order to beat Chelsea to his signature.

With Morgan Schneiderlin on the verge of joining Everton, United could use the money raised to help fund a move for Bakayoko while the French under-21 international would also be the ideal long-term replacement for Michael Carrick.

The 35-year-old has become a key figure in Mourinho’s starting eleven this season but is out-of-contract in the summer and is yet to sign a new deal so United are going to have to look to the future with Bakayoko firmly in their sights.

However, they could yet face stiff competition from Chelsea as Antonio Conte needs to bring in a replacement for John Obi Mikel following his move to China and the Blues could step-up their own interest if United make their move for Bakayoko this month.

The west Londoners are flush with cash after selling Oscar and Mikel to China at inflated fees so they have the financial muscle to compete with United for Bakayoko’s signature but it remains to be seen whether Monaco will be willing to do business.

They currently sit second in the Ligue 1 table and have a huge Champions League last 16 tie with Manchester City to look forward to so no doubt boss Leonardo Jardim will be desperate to keep hold of the defensive midfielder until at least the end of the season.

READ MORE –> Chelsea transfer news | Man Utd transfer news

However, whenever they do decide to cash-in, United may feel they have the edge in negotiations over Chelsea as they enjoy a solid relationship with Monaco having recently done business for Anthony Martial and Radamel Falcao.