Chelsea are looking to hijack Zenit St. Petersburg’s move for Roma centre-back Kostas Manolas, reports the Daily Telegraph.
The Russian side, now managed by Roberto Mancini, had been leading the race to sign the Greek defender, despite speculation linking him with a move to Chelsea, Arsenal and Inter.
The Blues, though, are now looking to steal a march on their Russian counterparts in the race to sign Manolas after a dispute over wages between the player and Zenit alerted the Premier League champions.
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is looking to strengthen his defence this summer and has been linked with moves for Virgil van Dijk and Leonardo Bonucci, though with Manolas supposedly available for just £26m, he represents a better value for money than the duo.
Last season’s title winners are set to cash in on Nathan Ake, with the Dutchman expected to return to Bournemouth for £20m, which threatens to leave Chelsea short at the back.
And the club could now invest that money in Manolas, who made 32 league starts for Roma last season, in a bid to bolster the defence.
Chelsea are also closing in on the signing of Tiemoue Bakayoko from Monaco, but face competition from PSG in the race to land Juventus’ Alex Sandro.
