Transfer News: Chelsea Lead Serbian Chase – Defender Flying In To Complete Man Utd Move

With the summer transfer window now open, there is plenty of gossip doing the rounds in the newspapers so we’ll keep you up-to-date with the latest transfer rumours. Today, Chelsea lead the chase for Lazar Markovic and Manchester United are closing in on their first signing of the summer.

Chelsea lead Markovic chase

First up and the Mirror are reporting that Chelsea are leading the race for highly-rated Serbian attacker Lazar Markovic – who is keen on a move to the Premier League.

The report claims the Blues have been scouting the wonderkid since he broke into the Partizan Belgrade first team at the age of just 17 and new boss Jose Mourinho is now eager to push through a deal.

Markovic is considered as one of the most talented youngsters in Europe and the Mirror suggest he’s being tracked by a whole host of top European clubs but Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo is understood to be pushing ahead to try and secure his services ahead of the competition.

The 19-year-old recently admitted he’d be keen to test himself in the Premier League:

“A lot of people say that maybe I’m not suited to the English league,” he said.

“But I can tell you that I love the Premier League and I see it as an ideal stage for me.” Markovic is quoted as saying by the Mirror.

While the Blues are being linked with a number of world class performers, it’s nice to see them also looking towards the future and trying to buy some of the top young talent in Europe. Lets just hope he gets a chance to impress in the first team if he does make the move to Stamford Bridge.

United close on Varela

Next and the Express are reporting that Manchester United are edging closer to making their first summer signing with Uruguayan full-back Guillermo Varela understood to be on the verge of sealing a move to Old Trafford.

The report claims that the 20-year-old impressed on a trial with the champions so much that they lodged a £1.2m bid last week and it seems they have been able to strike a deal with the players current club, Penarol.

Valera confirmed he was due to board a flight to England with Penarol chief Rodolfo Catino with the newspaper suggesting he was on his way to conclude the deal.

“In San Pablo airport waiting for the connection to London, with Guille [Varela] about to board.” Valera tweeted on Thursday.

While United fans may be dreaming of names such as Cristiano Ronaldo coming to Old Trafford this summer, it’s also important they look to the future and Varela looks set to join a long list of South American footballers to move to United.

Read more Chelsea transfer news | Man Utd transfer news

So there’s your latest dose of transfer news. What do Chelsea fans think; would you like to see Markovic signed? What about United fans; will Varela be a good signing? Get involved in the comments section below.