Chelsea hijack Man Utd move for £24m Serie A star after Blues sale agreement | OneFootball

Manchester United are trying to sign Jhon Lucumi from Bologna but could miss out on the defender to Chelsea, according to a report.

Lucumi is a left-footed centre-back who developed at Deportivo Cali in his native Colombia before joining Belgian outfit Genk in July 2018. After four years at Genk, Lucumi took the next step in his career in August 2022 by signing for Bologna in an €8million deal.

The 28-year-old has gone on to make 152 appearances for Bologna in all competitions, while also becoming an important player for the Colombian national team, picking up 42 caps.

Lucumi’s contract with Bologna expires next year, and the chances of an exit this summer are therefore high.

Bologna CEO Claudio Fenucci said recently: “A year ago, we couldn’t sell him at the end of the transfer window.

“But we promised him that this year, given a suitable offer, we’d make it happen.

“The transfer window hasn’t really taken off yet, and if it didn’t for Lucumi either, we’d be happy to keep him.”

Corriere di Bologna reported on July 21 that Man Utd had ‘made a move’ for the player after ‘joining the list of suitors’, and there has now been an update from fellow Italian source Quotidiano Sportivo.

They report that Man Utd have ‘rekindled contact’ for Lucumi, with the Red Devils searching for centre-half reinforcements to help them move on from Harry Maguire.

United have an existing relationship with Bologna after paying £36.5m for Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee in July 2024. United clearly think Lucumi would be a bigger success at Old Trafford than Zirkzee.

But Michael Carrick’s side face competition from Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Juventus for this particular transfer deal.

Chelsea look set to ‘cash in’ on Trevoh Chalobah, having agreed to sell him to Como for €36m (£31m), and they are ‘now in the market for a centre-back, preferably a left-footed player’, the report claims.

Chelsea have supposedly made contact to ‘explore’ a move for Lucumi, putting United’s own move under threat.

Chelsea, Man Utd converge on Jhon Lucumi

The report explains how Stamford Bridge remains an attractive destination for players even without Champions League football next season. Having Xabi Alonso in charge will certainly help Chelsea to attract high-calibre players.

Bologna want €28m (£24m) to sell the Colombia World Cup star.

There have been three offers for him so far, but none have met Bologna’s asking price. Italian giants Juventus opened the bidding at €15m (£13m) plus add-ons before increasing their proposal to €18m (£15m) plus add-ons.

Both of those offers were rejected, as was Forest’s €25m (£21m) bid.

As things stand, Juve hold the strongest interest in Lucumi, though Chelsea and United remain in the picture.