Chelsea are reportedly preparing to make a bid of £35m for Roma centre-back, Kostas Manolas.
- Zenit and Arsenal have both been linked with Manolas
- Blues ready to bid £35m in order to hijack deal for centre-back
- Chelsea send officials for £30m defender Arsenal struggled to sign
Chelsea are apparently going to ‘hijack’ Zenit’s move for Manolas with a £35m bid.
The Roma defender has been linked with the Blues recently, and if the name rings a bell with Arsenal fans, that because the Gunners allegedly attempted to sign the 26-year-old last summer.
Arsenal were reportedly ready to sign the Greece international for £35m themselves. However, Roma supposedly pulled out at the last minute without any explanation, leaving the Gunners feeling blind-sided, which led them to demand a high loan fee for Jack Wilshere when the Serie A side were interested in bringing him on board at the end of the transfer window.
Arsenal signed Shkodran Mustafi for £35m instead and, therefore, while they have been linked with Manolas since, it’s unclear whether they would actually return after having their fingers burnt last year.
Manolas has two years left on his deal with Roma.
He made 45 appearances in total last season.