According to reports, Premier League rivals Arsenal and Chelsea could ‘fight over’ as many as five players over the next couple of months.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The London rivals have butted heads in the transfer market quite a lot of late as they were both interested in Mykhaylo Mudryk and Joao Felix.
Free-spending Chelsea won the battle though as they have secured the services of both players this month.
This has not deterred Arsenal too much as they have signed Leandro Trossard and they are now being linked with Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga.
A fresh report from GiveMeSport claims that the two clubs are also likely to ‘fight over’ five more players in the coming months.
Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli is the first mentioned. He joined the Serie A side for £40m last year but Arsenal and Chelsea will be ‘alert’ to him becoming available in the summer.
‘Another Juventus target to look out for is Italian midfielder Locatelli. Arsenal had a go at signing him before he moved to the Turin giants yet there are indications from sources that it is a situation they may revisit at the end of the season,’ the report stated.
‘Issues at Juventus could lead to a mass overhaul and as part of that Locatelli could become available—which will also alert Chelsea, who have had him on the watchlist and regard him as a potential option for their midfield rebuild if other avenues become blocked.
‘Juve paid towards £40m to sign him just over a year ago and while this one might have to sit on the back burner a few more months, it’s one that will appeal to both clubs if he becomes available.’
AC Milan ‘supertar’ Rafael Leao is the next brought up. He has consistently been linked with the Premier League in recent months and he has been involved in 13 goals in 18 Serie A outings this term.
The report adds: ‘Leao’s ambition means he is going to be tempted into a Premier League move in the not-so-distant future and the Blues have had an eye on him over the past 18 months.
‘Arsenal’s interest is real too but is going to hang on his valuation more than Chelsea’s would.’
The other three players GiveMeSport mention are Dusan Vlahovic, Declan Rice and Ivan Fresneda.
Vlahovic was heavily linked with Arsenal last year before he signed for Juventus from Serie A rivals Fiorentina. But amid their current financial troubles and struggles on the pitch, his future is ‘not certain’. It is claimed that he could cost anything between £70m and £100m.
Rice meanwhile is one player who is expected to leave his current club in the summer, with Arsenal and Chelsea among the clubs interested in him.
The England international has been identified as Arsenal’s ‘top summer target’ but Chelsea are lingering in the background.
Fresneda is expected to leave Real Valladolid this month and the Gunners are among the clubs interested in him.
The young right-back has been picked out as a potential replacement for Cedric Soares, who is being targeted by Fulham.
READ MORE: Welcome Mykhaylo Mudryk… All the way from Ukraine to make Chelsea interesting again
