Chelsea in a three-way battle for Slovakian defender

Chelsea in a three-way battle for Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar

According to Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football.London), Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea are set to enter a three-way battle for Slovakian centre-back Milan Skriniar.

Since joining Inter Milan from Sampdoria in 2017, Skriniar has gone from strength to strength to become one of the best defenders in Serie A over the past few years. The Slovakian is one of the pillars of Simone Inzaghi’s team this season.

The 27-year-old has played 47 times for the club this season across all competitions scoring four goals during this period. The title race in Serie A is still going neck to neck with both the Milan clubs fighting it out for the Scudetto and Skriniar will be hoping to guide his team to a second straight triumph.

Chelsea have been credited with an interest in the Slovakian but they are not alone with Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur also said to be battling it out for the talented centre-back. Skriniar’s contract expires the next summer and he could be available for a cut-price deal in the summer.

Absolutely key?

We all know about Chelsea’s situation this season and the defensive pickle they find themselves in. Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger are on their way out of Stamford Bridge and even club captain Cesar Azpilicueta is said to be reconsidering his future.

This will leave us extremely short of options at centre-back going into next season and bringing in reinforcements is the need of the hour. If Chelsea are to dip into the market for new defenders, then Skriniar will not be a bad start.

At 27, Skriniar is unbelievably an underrated defender capable of succeeding at Chelsea. He is just entering the prime years of his career and could become the leader of the Blues’ backline for many years to come. Tuchel could certainly manage to integrate the Slovakian into his line-up.

Skriniar will not cost much considering his contract with Inter ends real soon. This means the Blues might be able to pull off a bargain with the Slovakian centre-back. After losing two quality centre-backs on a free transfer, a bargain signing might just be what Chelsea needs.

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Milan Skriniar to Chelsea seems like a no-brainer. However, the Blues will have to get the better of the other teams who are also in the battle to land on the Slovakian. It remains to be seen what happens but if we manage to pull the deal off, we will be making a great start in replacing Rudiger and Christensen.