Chelsea are ready to offer Cesc Fabregas a new contract to fend off fellow Premier League big guns Manchester United, according to the Times.
The newspaper claim that the west London club want the midfielder, 30, to sign an extension to his current deal, which expires in the summer of 2019.
The Times report that manager Antonio Conte has been won over by the Spaniard after relegating him to the substitute’s bench following his arrival and the signing of N’Golo Kane in the summer of 2016.
It is said that Fabregas has received assurances from Conte that he is pivotal to Chelsea’s plans and the Italian is pushing hard for the former Arsenal and Barcelona ace to be handed a new deal.
United have been monitoring Fabregas’s situation at Chelsea since Jose Mourinho moved to Old Trafford 18 months ago and he is now viewed as an alternative to Mesut Ozil on the club’s list of potential transfer targets for next summer.
Good move for Chelsea?
Yes. Fabregas has played more minutes this season than any of Chelsea’s other midfielders, starting eight of their 10 league matches, and he has showed he can shine for the demanding Conte. The pass master has been a key member of two title-winning sides at Stamford Bridge and his vision and creativity provides a new dimension to the midfield. It is a measure of the impact that Fabregas has made that Conte is desperate to keep him and Mourinho wants to work with him for a second time.
This Is Futbol rating 8/10
Likely to happen?
The length of the proposed new contract has yet to be agreed and this could be a sticking point. Conte’s intentions seem clear, so it will come day to what Fabregas wants. His camp have some negotiating power, given the reported Manchester United interest, so it could be some time before a deal is secured.
This Is Futbol rating 7/10