Liverpool and Manchester United are reportedly set to go head-to-head in pursuit of Chelsea midfielder of Cesc Fabregas in the summer
According to a report in The Sun, Cesc Fabregas is set to be the subject of a transfer tug of war between bitter rivals Liverpool and Manchester United, who want to poach the Spanish midfielder away from Chelsea in the summer transfer window.
Chelsea may be enjoying a resurgent season as they look set to clinch the Premier League title, but one player has not entirely had a gala time. That is because Cesc Fabregas has gone from being one of the first names on the team sheet under Jose Mourinho, to playing a bit-part role under Antonio Conte.
In fact, Fabregas has been in and out of the side all through the current campaign, and has struggled to nail down a place in the starting lineup. To put things into perspective, he has managed to start just 10 of the 34 Premier League games that Chelsea have played this season – not even playing a part in 9 matches.
However, the Spaniard still has some impressive figures to boast of, having found the back of the net on four occasions in addition to providing nine assists. In fact, only Kevin De Bruyne, Christian Eriksen and Gylfi Sigurdsson have assisted more goals this season.
These numbers prove just how effective Fabregas has been despite getting limited opportunities, and it looks like the 30-year-old is ready to put his frustrations behind him by departing from Stamford Bridge in the summer, when he is likely to be a subject a transfer battle between Liverpool and Manchester United.
At Liverpool, manager Jurgen Klopp has often been criticised for falling short in the Premier League title race, the primary reason for which has been attributed to the lightweight squad at his disposal. Midfield, in particular, is a problem area as the Liverpool boss has just five recognised options for three positions.
Fabregas, if signed can be an upgrade on Georginio Wijnaldum and bring a lot of creativity to the side. He could also be a replacement for Philippe Coutinho, who is being linked with a summer move to Barcelona.
Meanwhile, Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho is a huge admirer of Fabregas’ talents, having also made him one of his marquee signings at Chelsea. The Portuguese tactician, too, has limited options in midfield following the departures of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin.
The Manchester United boss now has at his disposal, just Ander Herrera and Paul Pogba in addition to the inconsistent Marouane Fellaini, and the ageing Michael Carrick. Thus, Fabregas’ addition will certainly add a lot of value to Mourinho’s squad.
The Spaniard still has more than two years left to run on his current deal with Chelsea, and he could command a transfer fee in the region of £25 million. The likes of AC Milan, Bayern Munich and Chinese Super League clubs are also interested in him, but Fabregas prefers to stay in England.
That puts the ball in Liverpool and Manchester United’s courts, and it remains to be seen where Fabregas heads off to in the summer. It will also be interesting to see if Chelsea are willing to sell the central midfielder to direct Premier League rivals.
