Chelsea are set to target Manchester United and Arsenal target Dimitri Payet after suffering failure in the pursuit of Bayern Munich star Arturo Vidal.
The Sun have claimed that Chelsea have shifted their interest to West Ham United star Dimitri Payet. The Blues are targeting the French superstar, who is also on the radar of Manchester United and Chelsea, after a failed pursuit of Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal.
Chelsea are in search of midfield options to bolster their squad, with N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic the only players favoured by Antonio Conte, along with Fabregas, who has been given a squad player role under the Italian.
Arturo Vidal worked under Antonio Conte during the duo’s days at Juventus. There has been speculation surrounding the Chilean with a possible reunion on the cards after he was linked with a £38 million move to Chelsea.
But recent updates suggest Carlo Ancelotti has put his foot down and has rejected the notion of Arturo Vidal leaving in this transfer window. And with the failed pursuit of Vidal, Chelsea still have the cash received from Oscar’s sale to reinvest into the squad.
It seems they have found the perfect player to invest a portion of the riches. Dimitri Payet seems to have made West Ham aware of his desire to leave and could be available for a lower fee than what was first expected.
But Chelsea are set to face competition for the French superstar. The 29-year-old has been linked for a long time with both Arsenal and Manchester United, who are in search of additions to their attack.
Arsenal need a player to boss the wing with Alexis Sanchez pushed into a lone-forward role, one in which he has excelled thus far. It is thought that Wenger intends to deploy Sanchez as a forward only and that Giroud’s inclusion is squad is more down to the injury issues the club faces as at the present moment.
Manchester United, on the other hand, have been deploying the likes of Juan Mata and Wayne Rooney on the wings. The Red Devils have Anthony Martial, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Jesse Lingard as Mourinho’s go-to men to fill the wide spots.
With Depay’s departure seeming imminent with each passing day, Mourinho was reportedly set to move for Payet and offer him a bumper deal of £220,000 per-week to beat Arsenal to the 29-year-old.
But, Chelsea’s inclusion in the number of interested clubs is set to add a fresh twist to the saga. Bilic is eyeing additions to his West Ham squad as well. He looked at securing deals for Martial or Rashford but has received a resounding no from the Red Devils.
One more player linked with the Hammers is Michy Batshuayi, who has donned the role of a back-up to Costa instead of challenging the Spaniard for a starting place, as was the Belgian’s aim.
And Chelsea can earn an advantage over other suitors by offering Batshuayi on a loan deal or otherwise, as part of a deal involving Dimitri Payet.
A loan move within the Premier League would present the best opportunity for Batshuayi to prove to Chelsea that he can very well handle the rigours of the league. And then he can return to Stamford Bridge and contend for the starting spot with reinvigorated vim and vigour.
Payet’s departure looks all the more likely, given his exclusion from the squad by Bilic, who has said that the French superstar will not even train with the first team.
