Chelsea looking to leapfrog Liverpool, Man Utd in growing race to sign classy free agent | OneFootball

Chelsea have reportedly ‘held talks’ with the camp of Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi, as they look to beat the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United to the signing of the soon-to-be free agent centre-back.

The Argentina international is poised to walk away from the south coast when his contract expires in the summer, and his outstanding form for the Cherries this season has seen a number of top clubs alerted to his availability.

Senesi has featured in 31 of Bournemouth’s 32 Premier League outings this season, as Andoni Iraola’s side sit firmly in the mix for a European spot during the remaining weeks of the campaign.

And now a report from our friends over at TEAMtalk has detailed what the future potentially holds for the 28-year-old defender.

They report that Chelsea have joined Liverpool and Man Utd in stepping up their interest in Senesi, with the Blues ‘holding talks’ with Senesi’s representatives as they ‘assess defensive reinforcements’.

The report adds that the Premier League trio are prepared to offer Senesi the chance to remain in England, where he has already proven himself as ‘one of the division’s most consistent defenders’.

There also remains significant interest from Spain in the player, with ‘Barcelona maintaining contact with the Bournemouth star’.

However, TT sources indicate that the Catalan giants are yet to make a decisive move, leaving Senesi in a state of uncertainty.

That decision is largely due to Barca’s main priority being a move for Alessandro Bastoni instead, although a deal for the Inter Milan centre-back is far from straightforward due to financial constraints.

The situation has ‘effectively left Senesi waiting on developments at Camp Nou’, despite having ‘concrete options on the table in the Premier League’.

TEAMtalk sources also state that those close to the player are increasingly encouraging him to favour a move within England’, where ‘Liverpool, Man Utd and Chelsea are all ready to act’.

Chelsea’s interest stems from them being in the market for another left-footed central defender, with the Stamford Bridge outfit not fully convinced by the options Liam Rosenior currently has to pick from.

Liverpool, for their part, still have major doubts over Ibrahima Konate’s future on Merseyside, although do have Jeremy Jacquet set to arrive for next season.

As for Man Utd, they do now have the luxury of knowing Harry Maguire will still be around next term, after the veteran England star recently penned a new Old Trafford contract.

However, that’s not stopping them adding a quality central defender, especially when a player of Senesi’s calibre is set to be available on a free transfer.