da jogodeouro： According to reports in The Sunday Times, Chelsea face competition from Premier League rivals Manchester City in the race to sign £21.9m-rated Real Madrid right-back Danilo.
What’s the word, then?
da roleta： Well, Blues boss Antonio Conte is keen to provide Victor Moses with more competition in the right wing-back spot next season and Danilo has been one of his top summer targets, according to The Sunday Times.
The Premier League holders and Juventus were leading the chase to sign the 26-year-old but now The Sunday Times says the Citizens have made an approach as they look to sign another right-back, despite completing a deal to sign Kyle Walker from Tottenham Hotspur on Friday.
Pep Guardiola is keen to sign two new left-backs and two new right-backs during the summer transfer window having seen Bacary Sagna, Pablo Zabaleta and Gael Clichy leave at the end of their contracts last month, and the Spaniard has turned his attentions to Danilo after fellow Brazilian Dani Alves opted to join Paris Saint-Germain.
How did Danilo do last season?
The 26-year-old made 25 appearances in all competitions, scoring one goal and providing a further three assists, but he has struggled to displace Dani Carvajal as the La Liga giants’ first-choice right-back.
What may also appeal to Conte and Guardiola is the fact that the Brazilian can also play at left-back, as he did on four occasions for the Champions League holders last term.
Why do Chelsea and City want him?
One of the main reasons will be his price tag.
City have already spent an initial £45m on Kyle Walker and it shows the premium that the duo will have to pay for Premier League/English players this summer, and they could sign Danilo for less than half of that fee.
While the 26-year-old loves to get forward – as any modern day full-back must – and successfully completed 13 take-ons in 17 La Liga appearances last term, he is also strong defensively.
The Brazil international made 43 clearances and 37 interceptions while he also loves a tackle and is relatively strong in the air.
What’s the verdict, then?
Well, having lost out to Manchester United for Romelu Lukaku, Chelsea boss Antonio Conte won’t want to lose out to the Red Devils’ arch-rivals for Danilo, and it could come down to how much first team football each team can guarantee him.
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