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Manchester United and Chelsea are set to battle it out for the signing of Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare, Sky Sports has reported.
Also read: Inter Milan sporting director in London for talks over Christian Eriksen and Olivier Giroud deals
Lille sensation to make his decision before the January window closes
The 20-year-old, who has two-and-a-half years left on his current contract, has caught the attention of several European powerhouses and has emerged as one of the promising young stars set to be sold by Lille this month.
Arsenal were previously interested in the midfielder but are understood to have abandoned their pursuit of the Frenchman, with Real Madrid and Valencia also said to have dropped out of the race.
Both United and Chelsea have been in intensive negotiations over the signing of the midfield sensation but no decision will be made before Lille's clash against Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 on January 26.
While the Red Devils are looking to bolster their midfield options following injuries to Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay, the Blues consider him to be a long-term investment who can play second fiddle to N'Golo Kante and eventually replace him.
Soumare came through the youth system at PSG before signing for Lille in 2017 to secure first-team opportunities. He has since made 25 appearances for the club in all competitions and has often been compared to Pogba himself.
Lille are currently fifth in the Ligue 1 table and finished last in their UEFA Champions League group. They are next scheduled to face Gonfreville in a Round of 32 fixture in the French Cup on Saturday.
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