Manchester City have reportedly leapfrogged Chelsea into the lead in the race to sign Danilo from Real Madrid this summer.
According to a report in Daily Mail, Manchester City have joined Chelsea in pursuit of Brazilian right-back Danilo. In fact, the Citizens are now the hot favourites to complete the signing of the Real Madrid defender ahead of the Premier League champions.
Danilo has endured a tough time at Real Madrid, having arrived at the Bernabeu in the summer of 2015 with a burgeoning reputation of being one of the most promising defenders in Europe. Many even hailed him as the ‘next Dani Alves’, but the player has just not managed to justify his billing.
As a result, he played second fiddle to Dani Carvajal over the last two seasons, managing to start just 40 games in all competitions. Having failed to create much of an impact for Real Madrid though, Danilo looks set to depart from the Bernabeu, especially with the World Cup just a year away.
Meanwhile his struggles over the last two years aside, there is no dearth of interest in the 26-year-old, with some of the biggest clubs in the world chasing after him. But the race to sign Danilo looks destined to be heading towards a battle between two Premier League sides, with Chelsea and Manchester City the front runners in his pursuit.
Manchester City are leading Chelsea in the chase for £30m-rated Real Madrid right-back Danilo. [Daily Mail] pic.twitter.com/avFsS9W1QH
— City Chief ️ (@City_Chief) July 19, 2017
At Chelsea, Antonio Conte has already been busy in the transfer market in an attempt to beef up his squad. The Blues are set to compete on four fronts next season and thus, the Italian tactician is keen on having enough strength in depth to last the distance while being competitive in each competition.
The right wing-back slot is believed to be a priority as well, with Victor Moses the only recognised option at the Chelsea manager’s disposal. Therefore, Danilo is being eyed this summer. But, City are threatening to steal a march on the Blues, having stormed into the lead, as per the report.
Pep Guardiola, too, has made a few additions to his squad as he looks to embark on a trophy-laden season following a below par maiden campaign at the Etihad in 2016/17. One of these aforementioned additions was Kyle Walker, who arrived from Tottenham earlier this week.
However, the Englishman is the only recognised option at Guardiola disposal and the Manchester City boss, like his Chelsea counterpart, is keen on having two top players to choose from in order to rotate his players effectively and keep them fresh throughout the campaign.
And the report suggests that City have, in fact, become the favourites to sign Danilo, with the player expected to leave Real Madrid’s pre-season camp in the USA to link up with the Citizens within the next 48 hours.
City are believed to have clinched a £26 million deal with Real Madrid, with a further £4 million in add-ons helping them match Los Blancos’ asking price of £30 million. It now remains to be seen if Chelsea can make a late attempt to land the player, or if City indeed end up completing his signing.
