Chelsea Hoping To Beat Man Utd To Brazilian Attacker By Tabling €40m Offer

The January transfer window is now closed but that won’t stop the newspapers from speculating ahead of the summer so we’ll bring you all the news and gossip. Today, Chelsea are set to move for Man Utd target Felipe Anderson….

Chelsea are hoping to beat Manchester United to the signing of Felipe Anderson by testing Lazio’s resolve with a €40m offer, according to reports.

Anderson moved to Lazio from Santos in the summer of 2013 and has developed into one of the hottest young properties in Europe this season with his 10 goals and 8 assists helping the club push for Champions League qualification.

His impressive displays have attracted interest from abroad and reports earlier this week suggested that Chelsea had joined Manchester United in the race for the Brazilian attackers signature.

Chelsea representatives are believed to have watched Anderson in action during games against Torino and Fiorentina in recent weeks while United’s chief scout Jim Lawlor is understood to have been in the stands to watch him score during a 2-0 victory over Verona last weekend.

However, it appears Chelsea are now ready to steal a march on their rivals as the Metro are citing reports coming out of Italy which claim the Blues are going to test Lazio’s resolve with a €40m (£29.3m) offer.

It remains to be seen how United will react to the news and they may very-well step-up their interest with an offer of their own, but it’s going to be difficult for either club to prise him away from the Stadio Olimpico as Anderson only recently signed a new long-term contract.

The newspaper suggests that Chelsea are confident they’ll be able to put a package together that will temp the midfielder to West London but they’ll have to persuade Lazio to sell and much could depend on whether they qualify for the Champions League next season.

Stefano Piolo’s side currently sit third in the Serie A table but with only three qualifying places up for grabs and Samdoria just four points behind, there’s still a possibility they will miss out on playing in Europe’s elite competition next season.

Should that happen, then Lazio may be forced to cash-in on Anderson and it looks as though Chelsea and United are ready to offer him a fresh start in the Premier League.

He’s predominantly a left-sided attacker but he’s also capable of playing anywhere across the front three positions behind the striker, so he’d give Jose Mourinho or Louis van Gaal plenty of options in attack if he did make the move to either club this summer.

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

However, a major stumbling block over any potential deal could be gaining a work permit as Anderson is yet to earn a single cap for the senior Brazilian side, and the FA are trying to introduce new rules to make it harder for foreign players to get permits.