Manchester United lead Chelsea in the race to sign exciting 22-year-old Ligue 1 talent

Transfer News: Manchester United leading Chelsea in the pursuit of Boubacar Kamara

As per Marca (h/t football.london), Chelsea are set to lose out to Premier League rivals Manchester United in the race to sign Marseille star Boubacar Kamara. The Red Devils are said to be in pole position to land the player in the ongoing January transfer window.

Kamara is into the last six months of his contract with the Ligue 1 side and looks set to become a free agent in the summer. The Frenchman has been a standout player for Marseille this season, leading Premier League clubs like Man United and Chelsea to take an interest in securing his services.

Considering Kamara’s contract situation, Marseille could consider cashing in on the midfielder this month rather than losing him on a free at the end of the campaign. The Blues, however, look likely to lose out on the 22-year-old, as Man United appear to be firmly in the driving seat.

With the transfer race heating up to land the highly-rated midfielder, it seems certain that the Blues will most likely not be making a move for Kamara if he is to leave this month. It is understood that signing a new left-wing-back is the only priority for coach Thomas Tuchel in the winter transfer window.

Chelsea are staring at a defensive crisis on the flanks, with English duo Ben Chilwell and Reece James ruled out for a lengthy period of the season due to injury. The need for a left-back is more pressing, as Chilwell will only return to competitive action next season.

Not a priority!

Losing out on Kamara would not trouble club director Marina Granovskaia. She is said to have her eyes on signing higher-profile players such as Declan Rice and Aurelien Tchouameni. The Blues have identified the midfield role as needing some refreshing and could very well make their move next summer.

Chelsea are stacked in midfield at the minute, with quality players like Ross Barkley and Saul Niguez struggling to get game time and likely to depart soon. The need to sign a midfielder seems low at the moment, with additions at the back taking precedence for Tuchel.

Unsuccessful contract negotiations, injuries, and Covid outbreaks have weakened our rearguard, and a revamp of the defence could be needed. Comparatively, the situation in midfield is not so dire and could be put off for later.

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Although we could see our target move to a direct rival, interest in Kamara does not appear to have been serious, and he was largely seen as an alternative to Rice. Further, the Frenchman’s move to Man United has not yet been confirmed, and it remains to be seen if we will make a late move to hijack the transfer for ourselves.

Rice has long admired the Chelsea hierarchy, and a reunion with the former Blues academy star may be on the cards soon. Having already brought Romelu Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge, it remains to be seen if Rice could be the next player to return to west London and establish himself as our midfield mainstay for the next few years.