Alonso to sting Man Utd with £70m Chelsea move for ‘sensational’ wide man | OneFootball

Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea have reportedly burst into the race for Sporting CP star Maxi Araujo to set up an intriguing summer transfer battle with Manchester United.

There will likely be wholesale changes at Chelsea this summer as Alonso looks to make his mark on the squad after agreeing to take over on a four-year contract. Out of respect for the Spaniard’s current standing in the global game, they have given him the role of manager rather than head coach, which means he will have a greater say on transfers.

Chelsea are expected to look for a new goalkeeper, left-back, centre-half and striker this summer, while a central midfielder and left winger could also be on the agenda depending on sales.

According to CaughtOffside, Chelsea have ‘entered the race’ for versatile Sporting player Araujo following Alonso’s arrival at Stamford Bridge.

Araujo, who can play anywhere from left-back to left-wing, has impressed Premier League clubs by notching seven goals and six assists in 47 matches for Sporting this season, mainly from left-back.

Premier League clubs are ‘starting to circle’ around Araujo as his ‘sensational’ form in Portugal has ‘caught the attention’ of Chelsea and Man Utd.

United and Arsenal have made early ‘enquiries’, while Chelsea are ‘monitoring the situation’ ahead of opening potential talks in the coming weeks.

Manchester City have previously been mentioned as possible suitors, but a transfer to the Etihad is ‘less likely’ as they already have strong options in defence.

Sporting are protected by Araujo’s contract, which includes a £70m release clause, though there have been indications they might sell for a lower fee of £50-60m.

United see Araujo as someone who can provide Luke Shaw with competition and backup next season before eventually becoming the Englishman’s successor.

The Uruguayan excels at marauding down the left flank before putting dangerous crosses into the box, which could see him strike up a great partnership with United centre-forward Benjamin Sesko.

Alonso and Chelsea, meanwhile, want Araujo to compete with Marc Cucurella and Jorrel Hato.

Such a move would allow Hato to help out in central defence if required. There have also been rumours Cucurella might reunite with Enzo Maresca at Manchester City, which would force Chelsea to enter the market for a new starting left-back.

In terms of other defensive reinforcements, our friends at TEAMtalk have revealed Chelsea could reunite Alonso with his former Bayer Leverkusen centre-half Edmond Tapsoba.

Up front, Chelsea need a deadly striker who can replace Liam Delap, with potential targets including Igor Thiago, Brian Brobbey and Ollie Watkins.

Alonso sent Chelsea transfer advice

But Paul Merson thinks Alonso should bring back Nicolas Jackson as Delap’s replacement.

“I thought Chelsea were in a position where they had a manager who was grateful to manage Chelsea,” the pundit said.

“They need a manager who the fan’s are grateful that he’s managing Chelsea and they’ve got that now with Xabi Alonso because he’s a top manager.

“They need players and they need a clear-out. I would get Nicolas Jackson back, I would rip Jackson back.

“I’ve said it before, Palmer made Jackson and Jackson made Palmer. Palmer’s not on that plane [to the World Cup] because Jackson’s not been there.

“Liam Delap is out of his depth and Joao Pedro wants to come this way [towards the midfield] and it closes everything down, he’s more of a No. 10 really.

“A back-three would suit Chelsea because they’ve got Reece James, Marc Cucurella and Malo Gusto who can bomb forward and they’ve got two holding midfielders in Caicedo and Enzo.

“That will suit Xabi Alonso. They could be a good team but they need some experience.”