Steven N’Zonzi is the subject of interest for Chelsea yet again, but the Blues have Manchester City and Juventus for company in pursuit of the Sevilla midfielder.
According to Spanish publication AS, Chelsea could face competition in their chase for Sevilla’s Steven N’Zonzi, as they have reported that Serie A champions Juventus have already made first contact with the La Liga outfit, with Premier League rivals Manchester City waiting in the wings to make a move as well.
The report noted that Juventus are currently in talks with Sevilla, but are unwilling to meet his €30 million release clause. However, the Spanish club is refusing to budge on the value and will only sell if their asking price is met.
Chelsea, whose interest in N’Zonzi has been widely reported previously, are also in the fray with Antonio Conte keen to add reinforcements to his midfield, as he sweats over the slim pickings on offer beyond first choice midfielders N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic.
Meanwhile, AS also pointed out that Manchester City is the last team to enter the picture for N’Zonzi. Pep Guardiola has been forced into the making a midfielder a top priority in the January transfer window due to Ilkay Gundogan’s knee injury.
N’Zonzi has become one of the most prized assets for Jorge Sampaoli’s team, with the former Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City man having established himself in the centre of the park in his second season with the club.
The Frenchman has been one of the standout performers for his side, with Sevilla enjoying a good start to the 2016/17 season. Sampaoli’s side have gotten off to their best start to a league season in ten years, and have also managed to qualify for the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League.
N’Zonzi has been a vital cog throughout the season. His rugged game, which sees him put in tough tackles on the field and deal with aerial threats with ease, has seen him provide a solid cover to his defence, while linking up with his attackers with aplomb to remain at the heart of everything that is good about Sevilla’s play.
With the Frenchman fast rising to prominence this campaign, and with some of the giants of European football keeping tabs on him, Sampaoli and Sevilla will find it hard to keep hold of N’Zonzi if any of the sides do make a concrete offer on their man.
