Chelsea have reportedly joined Arsenal in the race to sign AS Roma winger Cengiz Under, who has a £54 million price tag on his head
According to a report by The Guardian, Chelsea are the latest high profile club to have emerged in pursuit of Turkish prospect Cengiz Under. The Blues also have Premier League rivals Arsenal for company in the race to sign the 21-year-old AS Roma star, who will set his suitors back £54 million.
Cengiz Under has burst into the spotlight ever since he joined AS Roma in the summer of 2017. Over the last 18 months or so, the player has gone from strength to strength, and is now one of the most pivotal figures at Stadio Olimpico.
The player has been in fine form this season, with five goals and six assists in 20 appearances across all competitions. His advent, coupled with a paltry pay package at Roma, has shed some light on the Turk possibly being a straightforward target to poach, with Arsenal and Chelsea in pursuit of the 21-year-old.
The interest from Arsenal is understandable, with Unai Emery bereft of natural wingers in his squad. The manager has, in fact, had to bank on the likes of Alex Iwobi, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Danny Welbeck and Henrikh Mkhitaryan to play in the wide areas. Under is thus, a viable target for the Gunners to pursue, although they now face serious competition from one of their London rivals.
Chelsea too, are in the market for attacking reinforcements, with a winger being quite high on their priority. That is because, Willian and Pedro are both on the wrong side of 30, while Eden Hazard continues to be linked with Real Madrid, which is forcing the Blues into the market for a wide man.
But, while the interest from Arsenal and Chelsea in winger does make sense, his £54 million valuation could swing matters in favour of the Blues, with the Gunners known to be operating on a limited budget in the transfer market.
Either way, Under is seemingly ripe for the taking, with the player currently being one of the lowest earners at AS Roma. One area where Arsenal would not have a problem is bumping his wages, although it will be interesting to see if they are willing to pay the premium for him, something that Chelsea might not have qualms about.
The race to sign Cengiz Under is intensifying, with Chelsea the latest club emerging in his pursuit. With the likes of Arsenal and Bayern Munich also chasing after him, it remains to be seen if AS Roma can manage to hold on to their star player, or if the 21-year-old moves on to greener pastures.
