Chelsea Enter Race For £43m-Rated Midfielder Targeted By Manchester United, Liverpool & Crystal Palace | OneFootball

Chelsea now have all their players back for pre-season so Xabi Alonso can make his final assessments. Video Credit: Absolute Chelsea

Chelsea have joined the race to sign AS Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara alongside three other Premier League clubs.

Despite already bringing in two new midfielders this summer, Valentin Barco and Jordan Henderson, Chelsea appear to still be in the market for more midfield talent if the right opportunity arises.

According to French outlet Foot Mercato, Chelsea have made enquiries for Monaco’s Camara.

However, Chelsea are not the only club chasing the 22-year-old midfielder, since Manchester United, Liverpool, and Crystal Palace are also in the race.

Monaco are said to be open to selling the midfielder, but only if a club are willing to meet their €50 million (£42.7m) valuation for the Senegal international.

This claim is likely supported by Monaco’s decision to turn down a recent offer from Crystal Palace for Camara.

The BBC claims Crystal Palace’s verbal bid is worth more than £35m, which would have made Camara one of the most expensive signings in the club’s history.

While Chelsea may have the spending power to meet Monaco’s demand, it remains unclear whether they would make a move without first offloading one of their midfield options.

Is there room for another midfielder at Chelsea?

In addition to new signings Barco and Henderson, manager Xabi Alonso also has Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia, and Dario Essugo in his packed midfield.

Even Essugo, whom Chelsea plan to keep this season, is reportedly considering leaving on loan in search of more playing minutes elsewhere due to the fierce competition for midfield spots at the club.

Chelsea could make a move for Camara if Essugo decided to leave on loan, but the former will face a similar problem.

That said, there remains a possibility that Fernandez may leave Stamford Bridge before the end of the window amid interest from Manchester City, in which case Chelsea would likely be looking for a replacement.

Chelsea have given Man City, and any other potential suitors, a deadline of 5pm (UK) on Friday, August 14, to meet the £120m asking price. Otherwise, Fernandez will not be sold after that time.

All-rounder Camara would not be a like-for-like replacement for the more offensive-minded Fernandez, however.

Camara is by far the better defender of the two, but Fernandez offers a lot more to his team in the final third, both with his passing and runs.

The former prefers to drop down to dictate the game, while the latter thrives in the left pocket of the pitch.

Both are quite excellent at taking set-pieces.

Camara made 31 appearances across all competitions for Monaco last season, in which he bagged three goals and four assists.

He also featured in all four of Senegal’s World Cup matches this summer, three of which were as a starter.

The young midfielder is under contract with Monaco until June 2029.