Chelsea are reportedly confident of landing Kostas Manolas from AS Roma in the summer with a €40 million bid.
According to a report in Tribal Football, Chelsea have made their final attempt to sign Kostas Manolas from AS Roma in the summer transfer window. The Premier League champions have tabled a bid worth €40 million for the Greek defender.
Manolas joined Roma from Olympiacos in the summer of 2014 and in the last three seasons he has established himself as an instrumental figure for a club that has transformed itself into genuine contenders for the Serie A title.
In fact, the player has been the bedrock of the Giallorossi’s defence over the last three seasons, and is regarded as one of the best defenders in the defensively astute Italian top flight. In the recently concluded season, Manolas was a mainstay at the back for Roma, making 45 appearances in all competitions.
His exploits have earned him several admirers with some of the biggest clubs in Europe making a beeline for his signature. While the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Inter Milan have ended their interest in the 26-year-old, Chelsea continue to remain keen on signing him in the summer.
In fact, Chelsea have held a long-time interest in signing Manolas with Antonio Conte eager to strengthen his defensive options ahead of the 2017/18 season. The Italian tactician currently has Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz and Gary Cahill as his first-choice options in his side’s back-three.
Beyond the trio, the inexperienced duo of Kurt Zouma and Nathan Ake are the only understudies. On top of that, the future of Andreas Christensen – returning from his loan spell at Borussia Monchengladbach – is mired in uncertainty as well.
As a result, the Chelsea boss is keen to add an experienced defender to his squad, and Manolas, with his no-nonsense style of defending, pace and physical presence is an ideal target. The player, with his undoubted quality and experience of playing in a back-three certainly has a case to slot straight into the first-team setup as a regular.
However, Zenit St Petersburg are reportedly leading the race currently, with just the final details of personal terms left to be chalked out. Chelsea, though, have table a higher bid – €40 million – than Zenit, whose offer for Manolas is €30 million.
The Russian giants, though, are offering a better contract to the player, and it remains to be seen if Chelsea’s bid is enough for them to land the 26-year-old in the summer.
