Chelsea have launched a sensational swap deal offer to rival a recent reported bid from Manchester United for the transfer of Real Madrid star Marco Asensio.
The Spain international is clearly a man in demand at the moment after catching the eye at the Bernabeu in recent times, establishing himself as one of the finest young players in Europe.
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Remarkably, Chelsea are so keen to sign him that they could be willing to part with one of their most important players in an effort to get the deal done.
That’s according to Don Balon, who report that the Blues have submitted an offer involving N’Golo Kante moving to Madrid as part of the deal.
This would certainly be a shock given Kante’s importance to Chelsea, but Don Balon claim the west Londoners are desperate to make Asensio a central part of their team.
The 22-year-old could be well worth investing in, but given Chelsea’s needs in midfield after a flurry of poor recent signings such as Tiemoue Bakayoko, Ross Barkley and Danny Drinkwater, it looks an extremely risky move letting Kante go.
Chelsea already have quality attacking midfielders like Eden Hazard and Willian in their ranks so Asensio doesn’t necessarily seem like a priority.
Don Balon recently claimed Manchester United had bid for Asensio as well, offering €100million for him.
The Red Devils look more in need of upgrades in attacking midfield due to the indifferent form of players like Alexis Sanchez and Anthony Martial of late.
Both teams, however, could do with that experience Asensio would bring after his role in Real’s Champions League win last season and run to the final again this term.