Manchester United are keeping close tabs on the situation of a defender who is already in the Premier League, according to a report.
Man Utd centre-backs
Erik ten Hag currently has Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans as his options at centre-back, but there is a chance that the boss could be losing at least three of those at some stage next year. Maguire has been linked with an exit ever since the summer so his future remains up in the air, whilst Lindelof and Evans will have both reached the expiration of their deals at the end of the season (Man Utd contracts), meaning that the boss may have to dip into the market to search for possible replacements.
Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah has emerged as a candidate having fallen hugely out of favour under Mauricio Pochettino after making zero appearances across all competitions this season (WhoScored – Chalobah statistics), showing how low down in the pecking order he is.
The Stamford Bridge outfit’s 24-year-old is therefore expected to leave at the start of next year having been told that he doesn’t feature in their long-term plans, and the academy graduate’s availability appears to have alerted chiefs that there could be an opportunity to recruit him up for grabs.
Man Utd interested in Trevoh Chalobah
According to TEAMtalk, Trevoh Chalobah is of interest to Manchester United, alongside two overseas clubs in Germany.
“TEAMtalk understands Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah is set to be forced out of the club, with Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund all keen on signing the 24-year-old.
"However, both German sides could face further competition as sources have indicated that Manchester United are also monitoring Chalobah’s situation closely and are considering a move to try and keep him in England.
"Chelsea will be looking for a fee in the region of £45million, but there is a degree of flexibility as the club want to sell so they can bring in multiple new signings during the winter window. Sources also say that Chalobah would be keen to stay in England if possible and a move to a top six side could be hard to refuse.”
Whilst Chalobah hasn’t been given a chance to prove what he’s capable of this season, Man United will know that he’s got bags of potential which he showed last campaign, averaging 2.2 clearances and 1.2 aerial wins per top-flight game.
Standing at 6 foot 3, Chalobah also has the versatility to operate everywhere across the backline and even in three positions in the midfield, so his ability to cover in roles outside of his own could make him a wonderful option to have available should any injuries occur (Transfermarkt – Chalobah statistics).
Chalobah, who has been dubbed an “ice cold” defender by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, even shares the same representative, CAA Base Ltd, as Varane (Man Utd's squad agents), so this existing connection that his management have to the club could give them a small advantage should they chase a deal in January.
