Chelsea interested in a shock move for rival PL skipper

Chelsea are interested in Manchester United skipper Harry Maguire

According to The Guardian (h/t The Sun), Chelsea are interested in a shock move for Manchester United captain Harry Maguire after facing stumbling blocks in their pursuit of Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana.

Wesley Fofana has been the primary defensive target for Tuchel after failing to land Matthis De Ligt and Jules Kounde. The Frenchman has already agreed on personal terms but the Foxes are reluctant to lower their £85million valuation of the player.

This has resulted in the Blues showing interest in the Manchester United defender, who is going through a horrid time at Old Trafford. A former Foxes star, Maguire has struggled to justify his price tag at the Theatre of Dreams.

This move reeks of desperation from Chelsea after their failure to land any of their primary targets this summer. It is also at a speculative stage given that Manchester United are not ready to cash in on their star defender.

The Fofana saga was felt to be over when the defender asked to not play in the Foxes’ recent clash against Southampton. The Frenchman has his eyes set on a transfer to Chelsea but with the two clubs far from reaching a compromise, the chances of the player coming to Stamford Bridge are getting lesser with each passing day.

Tuchel is keen to reinforce his defensive set-up with the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andres Christensen this summer. While the addition of Kalidou Koulibaly has added some steel to defence, there are still gaping holes to fill if Chelsea are to compete with their rivals.

A 3-0 humiliation at Elland Road and a red card to Koulibaly has added more concern to the mix. With less than ten days remaining until the transfer window closes, Chelsea have to act fast or can see their season spiral in another direction.

Harry Maguire has been the brunt of jokes amongst United supporters for his displays but it would be wrong to take away the qualities of the player, who is seen as a key player in the resurgent England International squad.

More Chelsea News:

• Chelsea could still sign Jules Kounde if Barcelona fail to register him
• Romelu Lukaku is suggesting Inter Milan sign Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah
• Thomas Tuchel gave his verdict on whether Chelsea need a striker like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

As has been seen from his impressive performances with the international team, Maguire is most comfortable playing with the set-up of three central defenders, something which is synonymous with Tuchel’s Chelsea squad.

However, the transfer windows in recent years have shown us some of the most shocking moves and if the speculation leads to serious interest, this deal might be something to keep an eye on until the transfer window closes.