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Manchester United and Chelsea are looking to make some big signings and will battle to secure the services of one of the most promising youngsters in France.
Among the various teenagers who had garnered attention from several European giants last year, one name that stood out was Eduardo Camavinga. The young French central midfielder enjoyed a sensational break-out season with Ligue 1 outfit Rennes and has even been likened to Paul Pogba.
Camavinga was heavily linked with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain last summer but a move never materialized.
Manchester United and Chelsea still in the hunt for Eduardo Camavinga
As per AS, Real Madrid are still the favourites to sign Eduardo Camavinga but they will have their work cut out for them. Zinedine Zidane and co. will need to fend off competition from Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea to sign the 18-year-old.
The report adds that Los Blancos could even bow out of the race to sign Camavinga if Zinedine Zidane is sacked from the manager's role. Zidane's job has come under threat as Real Madrid's underwhelming season trudges on.
This could in turn spark a three-way bidding war between PSG, Manchester United and Chelsea. It is further claimed that all three sides are prepared to match Rennes' valuation of Camavinga.
Eduardo Camavinga has earned three caps for the French national side and has been a regular for the Rennes senior side and has made 33 appearances for them across all competitions this season.
Manchester United are looking for a long-term solution to their problems in defensive midfield. An ageing Nemanja Matic affects the mobility of the side while Fred has been guilty of being sloppy with the ball far too many times. Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is expected to be backed by the board this summer.
Chelsea are building a strong core and Thomas Tuchel has a penchant for improving young players. Chelsea have also become much more of a stable unit since the appointment of Tuchel and they have a promising project as well.
However, Manchester United and Chelsea will probably have to start looking elsewhere as long as Real Madrid are in the picture. Eduardo Camavinga is keen to work with Zinedine Zidane and reportedly already has his sights set on a move to the Spanish capital in the summer.
Julien Stephan, the coach who gave Eduardo Camavinga his debut for the Rennes senior team, stepped down from his role at Rennes a month back. As a result, the teenager does not want to run down his contract, which expires in 2022 and wants to leave the club as early as this summer.
Earlier this month, Zinedine Zidane expressed his admiration for Eduardo Camavinga while speaking to the press ahead of Real Madrid's match against Elche. He said:
"He is a good player, he is young and he has a future. But I will not say anything else, he is not our player."
