Man Utd & Chelsea Ready To Pay £36.5m To Sign Unsettled La Liga Star

Managers are now pressing ahead with their plans for the final weeks of the summer transfer window so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip from around the globe. Today, Sergi Roberto could be heading to England….

Manchester United and Chelsea are ready to pay £36.5m to meet Sergi Roberto’s release clause with the versatile midfielder unsettled at Barcelona, according to a report in The Sun.

Roberto has been with Barca his entire career having come through their famous La Masia youth academy and he’s racked up over 150 appearances for the first team since breaking in to the side in 2014.

The 25-year-old made his name as a central midfielder but he’s developed in to a right-back in recent years and he made the majority of his 47 appearances last season in the defensive position.

However, Roberto’s future at the Nou Camp is in serious doubt as new boss Ernesto Valverde has brought-in Nelson Semedo as his new right-back while the Spaniard will also face stiff competition in midfield.

Paulinho’s arrival today has seen Roberto fall further down the pecking order and The Sun claim he was left livid after being named on the substitutes bench for Barca’s Spanish Super Cup defeat to Real Madrid last night.

It’s intensified speculation that Roberto will be on the move this summer and the newspaper is citing a report from Don Balon that says Man Utd and Chelsea are now ready to trigger his £36.5m release clause to offer him a fresh start in England.

Jose Mourinho has been tipped to further strengthen his squad before the end of the month and Roberto would not only provide a long-term replacement for Antonio Valencia but he’d also give the United boss another top class option in midfield.

Antonio Conte is also desperate to add to his squad over the coming weeks as he looks to build a group of players capable of competing on all fronts this season and Roberto would compete with Victor Moses in the right wing-back role if he moved to Stamford Bridge.

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

However, it doesn’t look like a move is imminent as the report indicates that Roberto is going to see if his situation changes over the next few games before making a final decision over his future.

If he continues to be left out of the starting eleven then he may look to leave Barca while Philippe Coutinho’s arrival from Liverpool would also push him further towards the exit door so it’s going to be interesting to see how things play out.