Chelsea want to sign €80m Man United target after watching him in Champions League
Chelsea and Manchester United could be set to go head-to-head for the signature of one central defender in the new year.
The Blues signed Maxence Lacroix from another one of their Premier League rivals, Crystal Palace, in the summer. Yet they appear to be open to signing another centre-back.
Chelsea are reportedly interested in Bayer Leverkusen’s Jarell Quansah, and they are now being linked with Benfica’s Tomas Araujo.
You can have TWO Man City players, who are you picking and why? 👀
Imagine if Man City actually get relegated 😳
According to TEAMtalk, Chelsea and United are both becoming “increasingly keen” on signing Araujo after watching him star in Benfica’s 2-0 Champions League win over AC Milan last month. The same report claims that the 24-year-old has an €80m (£63m) release clause in his contract.
This is not the first time that Araujo has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge. Last year, it was reported that Araujo was actually Chelsea’s priority target for the 2025 summer transfer window.
The potential arrival of Araujo would likely see one of Chelsea’s current centre-halves leave the club. Lacroix has just joined the Blues, while Levi Colwill is rated very highly at Cobham. It means Wesley Fofana is the likeliest candidate to be sold.
Josh Acheampong is another centre-back you could envision departing Chelsea for more game time, but only on loan. He is one player who is viewed as untouchable by the club.
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