The Blues are keen on signing Manchester United forward Anthony Martial this summer transfer window but are not willing to pay the hefty price that the Red Devils are demanding. With key players bound to exit Stamford Bridge, Chelsea are looking to re-enforce their squad in order to compete for honors next season.
After finishing fifth on the Premier League table last season, Chelsea did not manage a top 4 finish. This meant that the West London outfit was not able to qualify for the Champions League tournament the following year. Despite winning the FA Cup, against Manchester United in the final of the competition, Italian manager Antonio Conte was not able to keep hold of his job at Chelsea. And Conte’s departure will be only the start of a difficult summer as key Chelsea players Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois and Willian are linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea had to put their summer transfer business on hold before confirming their manager’s position. Eventually, Maurizio Sarri was decided upon as Chelsea’s next boss and the master tactician decided to bring in his former superstar Jorginho from Napoli as his first order of business. But Chelsea is well aware that they are lacking the goals in the attacking third of the pitch and if Hazard or Willian leave the club, their scoring options would reduce even further.
Therefore Chelsea is looking to sign a high-quality forward this summer as Sarri plans on bringing glory to his new club. Manchester United outcast Anthony Martial has been linked with a move to Chelsea as United boss Jose Mourinho has reportedly omitted the Frenchman from his future plans at the club. Martial was not given many opportunities to perform last season under the Portuguese manager and was mainly restricted to making appearances from the bench.
The 22-year-old Anthony Martial did impress in whatever limited time he was given but received a massive blow when he was not picked up for the France national team which won the World Cup in Russia. Martial has reportedly stated that he wants out of Manchester with a number of clubs eager to sign up the young winger. Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, European champions Real Madrid, Serie A champions Juventus and now Chelsea have joined the race for Martial’s signature.
Recent reports claim that Chelsea is more eager to sign Anthony Martial as they view the former Monaco man as the heir to Hazard of Willian if one of them leaves Chelsea. And United are surprisingly ready to sell Martial but not for cheap. The Red side of Manchester is demanding €100 million for their young attacker but Chelsea is not willing to splash that sum of money on Martial just yet.
There are also rumors floating around England that Chelsea could undergo a possible swap deal with Manchester United with Willian and Martial as part of the deal. However, this would not really help their cause, as they would only be losing one top player for another.
