What's the story?
Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho wants to add a creative midfielder to his squad in the summer and has earmarked Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas as his prime target.
The Daily Telegraph has reported that the Red Devils are ready to bid £27 million for the Spaniard with the player ready to leave Chelsea after failing to land a regular place in the Blues' starting lineup this season.
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Antonio Conte recently called Fabregas a genius for his talent to spot passes and create goals. But the stats say that the former Arsenal player has been underplayed this campaign. He has made just six starts this season but has an impressive three goals and seven assists in just 639 minutes of league action.
The heart of the matter
Jose Mourinho has been an admirer of the midfielder since long as he brought Fabregas from Spain to England for his second stint in the Premier League a few seasons ago. Last summer, Manchester United had tried to sign the Chelsea duo of Nemanja Matic and Willian but failed in their advances for two of Chelsea's important players.
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But the club hierarchy are confident that the case for Fabregas is different as Chelsea want to offload the wantaway midfielder who is reported to be frustrated with his cameo appearances.
A few weeks ago, Cesc Fabregas called Jose Mourinho one of the best managers in the world which is contrary to rumours of a fallout between the two during Mourinho's time at Chelsea.
What's next?
Manchester United are reported to face tough competition from AC Milan in their bid to sign Cesc Fabregas. The Italian giants have made Fabregas their prime summer target and are also ready to pay £27 million for the 29-year-old which is the exact sum Chelsea paid to sign him from FC Barcelona in 2014.
A tug of war is expected between the two sides for Fabregas who needs a move away from Stamford Bridge for regular game time.
Sportskeeda's Take
Manchester United's interest in the Spanish midfielder is an obvious one considering his recent match-winning performance against Swansea City, but it looks highly unlikely that Chelsea would sell their player to a direct rival. But there is a glimmer of hope for Manchester United fans as Juan Mata also made the move from Chelsea to Manchester United.
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Fabregas could fit seamlessly beside Paul Pogba and Ander Herrera and will bring excellent passing and composure in midfield, which has been lacking for the Red Devils when Michael Carrick has been unavailable.
