The Sun has reported that Chelsea, Manchester City, and Tottenham are in contention to sign Milan Skriniar on a free next summer.
The report claims that Manchester City are the latest entrants in the race to sign Skriniar. Chelsea are said to be long-term admirers of the Slovakia international and could move for him despite signing Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana this past summer. Skriniar is currently in the final year of his contract and he will be free to negotiate a pre-transfer agreement with any club that might approach him in January.
The 27-year-old was heavily linked with a move away from San Siro this summer. In fact, Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain had numerous approaches rejected for Skriniar, who has been valued at £60 million by the Nerazzurri.
Manchester City added Manuel Akanji to their defence in a bargain £17m deal but Pep Guardiola has been vocal about his concerns over his defenders’ fitness. And, therefore, they could look to sign Skriniar as competition.
Tottenham were interested in signing the central defender last summer as well. Antonio Conte has already worked with the player during his time at Inter and it is no surprise why the Italian tactician wants a reunion in North London.
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Chelsea completed a record-breaking summer window under new owner Todd Boehly. They splurged heavily on their defence but with Thiago Silva nearing 38, Graham Potter will need to find his replacement. Having said that, Skriniar has emerged as an option for the West London club.
Chelsea completed a deal with Inter last summer, having loaned out Romelu Lukaku to the former Serie A champions. Now, the word is that the Blues could send Lukaku on another season-long loan to Italy with Inter. Therefore, it could become a variable in the proposed Skriniar deal at some stage.
Skriniar is a ball-playing defender and has an imposing physical presence on the pitch. He is calm under pressure and can progress with the ball at his feet. He also commits to his tackles and is one of the better defenders inside the box in Europe at the moment.
Skriniar could be a good addition to Potter’s ranks but it remains to be seen if Chelsea are wiling to go all-out with him, especially if he agrees to a new contract with Inter.
