Chelsea are expected to make a £35million bid for Roma ace Kostas Manolas in an attempt to hijack Zenit St Petersburg’s move for the player, according to a prominent journalist.
Emanuele Giulianelli, who has been cited by the Sun and La Gazzetta dello Sport in the past, made the claim in a report in his Tribal Football column.
The report claimed Zenit have made a £25million bid for the 26-year-old centre-back, and are in the final stages of contract negotiations with the player, but the Blues are attempting to take him from under their nose with a last minute £35million offer.
The report states that Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is keen on Manolas, and he wants to sign him, but the London club’s contract offer is currently less attractive to the player than Zenit’s.
The Greek defender was a mainstay of Roma’s back line last term, making 45 appearances across all competitions.
He joined the Serie A giants in the summer of 2014 from Olympiacos in a £11million switch, and he has since played 131 league and cup games for the club.
Manolas has been capped by Greece on 29 occasions, and he featured for the full 90 minutes in his nation’s 0-0 World Cup qualifying draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina earlier this month.