Chelsea to battle Manchester United in race for Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel | OneFootball

Chelsea are interested in Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel, although any move is likelier in the summer.

There may also be competition at that point from Manchester United, who have a long-standing interest in the Swiss international.

Chelsea have started to consider their goalkeeping situation after some high-profile errors from current No. 1 Robert Sanchez.

Despite Enzo Maresca publicly backing the Spanish shot-stopper, the Blues have identified Kobel as a candidate who fits a lot of the criteria they prefer in a goalkeeper.

Dortmund are nevertheless resistant to even considering anything for the 27-year-old right now, especially in the midst of a run to the Champions League play-off round, with Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk securing 10th place in the table.

Dortmund will face Sporting CP or Club Brugge for the right to face either Lille or Aston Villa in the last 16.

But should their stance change for the summer, it might spark United into considering a move, too.

They have been monitoring Kobel for some time, and have faced similar issues to Sanchez with Andre Onana’s inconsistent form.

Despite a recent recurrence of errors, however, the Cameroonian is generally seen to have improved over the last year.

And United also have greater priorities in multiple other positions, as Ruben Amorim attempts an overhaul of the squad.

That could yet leave Chelsea with a free run on Kobel, and the challenge of doing business with Dortmund.

Chelsea will welcome Mike Penders, the giant young Belgian goalkeeper this summer in a deal already completed with Genk.

So far, Maresca has stood firm over Sanchez’s position as the first choice goalkeeper, despite competition from Filip Jorgensen.

Maresca said after the defeat to Man City: “We trust Robert for sure but the first one that is completely aware he is making mistakes in this moment is Robert.

"For sure, we continue to trust Robert. We trust Robert but now we have one entire week [until the next game], we see the reaction and then we decide for the next game."