Manchester United have handed Chelsea another huge blow in the transfer market as the Red Devils are set to hijack Blues target Tiemoue Bakayoko after ‘agreeing a fee’ with Monaco, according to reports.
Man Utd have already stolen Romelu Lukaku from under the noses of Chelsea and now the Red Devils are set to plunge a dagger into their chest by snapping up the defensive midfielder from AS Monaco.
The Express claim Man Utd have already agreed in principle with Ligue 1 champions over a £35million deal for Chelsea target Bakayoko.
After Man Utd officially announced the signing of Lukaku on Monday, Jose Mourinho has shifted his attention to Monaco star Bakayoko and out-of-favour Real Madrid attacking midfielder James Rodriguez.
Manchester United are reportedly negotiating a deal with Champions League winners Real Madrid for Colombian superstar James Rodriguez.
Chelsea have also shown huge interest in the Colombian attacking midfielder but Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho is confident that he can hijack the out-of-favour Real Madrid from under the noses of the Blues.
Conte has already grown frustrated due to Chelsea’s transfer failings and if he misses out on the Monaco midfielder, Conte will be left heartbroken after he also failed to land top target Lukaku.
Chelsea had matched Man Utd’s £75m for Everton hit-man Lukaku.
The Chelsea bosses were ready to fight it till the end as they were desperate to bring back the player to Stamford Bridge this summer.
They believed that they could still beat Europa League winners Man Utd to Lukaku’s signature.
But Lukaku rejected a return to Chelsea, as he believes that Man Utd are all set to become the dominant force in England again.
Conte is yet to commit his future to Chelsea after he turned down a new contract earlier this summer.
The Blues are desperate to tie down Conte amid huge interest from Serie A clubs.
The Blues have managed to make only one major signing so far this summer.
Antonio Rudiger joined the Blues from Seria A club AS Roma for a transfer fee of £34.2million and has become Chelsea’s first major signing this summer.
He will wear the No 2 shirt, which was previously donned by Branislav Ivanovic, who joined Zenit St Petersburg in February.
The Germany international said: “It’s a great feeling because not every player has the opportunity to join a huge club like this.
“I am looking forward to meeting up with my new team-mates and I’m very proud to officially become a Chelsea player.”