Manchester City make contact to hijack Chelsea transfer | OneFootball

Manchester City have made contact with the representatives of Xavi Simons as the club look to hijack Chelsea’s move for the RB Leipzig midfielder.

Chelsea have been locked in negotiations with Leipzig to sign the Dutch international for a fee in the region of £60m. Simons has given his approval to a transfer to Chelsea, but the Blues could now face competition from Premier League rivals Manchester City.

The Citizens have contacted the player’s camp, according to journalist Sacha Tavolieri. City consider Simons as a potential replacement for Savinho, who is subject of interest from Tottenham Hotspur.

The latter have lodged an opening offer in the region of €50m for the Brazilian, who is open to the move to North London.

Simons is keen to leave Leipzig after the German side missed out on European qualification. Last season, the 22-year-old scored 10 goals and provided a further seven assists in 25 Bundesliga appearances.

Interest from the Etihad is complicated by City’s non-homegrown quota. Pep Guardiola’s squad already contains a surplus of non-homegrown players with a maximum of 17 players permitted. Players under the age of 21 do not count towards the quota.

Guardiola has already stated his desire to reduce the squad numbers ahead of the upcoming campaign. Goalkeeper Stefan Ortega is expected to move on, which could help free a non-homegrown spot. Jack Grealish and James McAtee are also nearing exits.

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