Man Utd Lead Race for Federico Chiesa - But Will Need to Be 'Extra Convincing'
By Adam Aladay
Manchester United are continuing to show an interest in Fiorentina's Federico Chiesa in the event they aren't able to land priority target Jadon Sancho in the summer - but the player will need 'extra convincing' if he is to make a move.
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Chiesa joined Fiorentina's academy back in 2007 and has progressed through the ranks. Now regarded as one of Italy's brightest young prospects, Chiesa is a vitally important member of this Fiorentina team, having started 26 league games so far in 2019/20. During this time, he has grabbed six goals and five assists.
Fiorentina director Joe Barone recently admitted that more than one English club has expressed an interest in the 22-year-old, while the club president has also explained that if the 'right offer' were to come in for him, they would let him leave. It is thought La Viola value him in the region of £60m.
It has also been noted that Chiesa has started taking English lessons.
Corriere Fiorentino (via the Daily Star) now report that Man Utd are leading the race for the talented forward and are even 'very close' to reaching an agreement with Fiorentina, but they still have plenty of work to do if they are to secure his signature.
That is because Chiesa has 'always made it clear' that he isn't interested in a transfer abroad. As a result, United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will need to be 'extra convincing' if any potential deal will happen.
United's search for a new right-sided forward has been well documented in recent months, with a number of players suggested as being targets. However, it has been confirmed to 90min since September of 2019 that the Red Devils are confident they have done enough to land first-choice target Sancho in the upcoming transfer window.
Despite suggestions that United are not willing to go above £50m to bring the Englishman in, United remain intent on signing Sancho from Dortmund - but they are now no longer keen on going above the £100m mark.
Of course, there are always risks with such expensive deals and United may reach a stage in the negotiations where they could be forced to look elsewhere for alternative targets. And should this prove to be the case, Chiesa could well be an option. However, it is worth noting that the Red Devils have also been linked with a number of other players in case they aren't able to land Sancho.