Manchester United and Chelsea are reportedly interested in securing the services of Bayer Leverkusen defender Benjamin Henrichs

German publication Sport Bild have broken the story that Premier League rivals Manchester United and Chelsea are set to lock horns again, albeit off the field, with the duo taking interest in Bayer Leverkusen’s breakout star Benjamin Henrichs. The news has also been picked up by other publications like Goal and Daily Star.

The 19-year-old has been in impressive form for the Bundesliga side and has seen himself being included in the German national team setup ahead of the nation’s matches in the current international break, owing, by large, to his form at the club level.

The player has been ever-present for the Bayer Leverkusen side missing just 1 of their Bundesliga and Champions League fixtures combined.

Henrichs has been a revelation this season for Bayer Leverkusen and his performances have started attracting interest from the Premier League. (Picture Courtesy - AFP/Getty Images)
Henrichs has been a revelation this season for Bayer Leverkusen and his performances have started attracting interest from the Premier League. (Picture Courtesy – AFP/Getty Images)

What makes the 19-year-old’s profile even more valuable is his ability to play with equal ease and gumption on either side of the back four. Henrichs has featured on both flanks this season thus far and has been equally impressive in each position.

Manchester United have been long looking for a quality right-back to add to their squad while Jose Mourinho seems to be having some problems with Luke Shaw on the left side of the defence. Henrichs would provide a solution to both the problems, as it seems.

Chelsea, on the other hand, have deployed the 3-man defence and even though Victor Moses has been a revelation as a wing-back, Henrichs could prove to be an upgrade, of sorts, on the Nigerian international while he could also be successfully deployed on either side of the 3-man defence.

The report also mentions previous interest from Barcelona and Manchester United’s cross-town rivals Manchester City. While Barcelona do not seem to be interested at the moment, Manchester City are reported to be looking into the possibility of signing the player as well.

City have aging fullbacks on their roster and Henrichs would prove to be a quality addition. Barcelona, too, have been looking at possible additions as a replacement for Aleix Vidal, who is unhappy and is rumoured to be nearing an exit and could decide to enter the race in the near future.

There is no reported fee which would be considered as acceptable by Bayer Leverkusen, and it is thought that the Bundesliga outfit are unlikely to want to part with their exciting prospect at the moment.

For now though, Manchester United and Chelsea are set to battle each other for the 19-year-old German’s signature with the Red Devils determined to finally solve the right-back riddle.

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