Manchester United touted with summer swoop for out-of-favour Chelsea defender: report

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Manchester United are rumoured to be eyeing a summer move for one of Chelsea's out-of-favour stars.

Erik ten Hag's side have already announced the departure of Raphael Varane, Anthony Martial and Charlie McNeill, with plenty more faces expected to exit Old Trafford.

New minority owners INEOS are expected to explore a different transfer strategy when the transfer window opens, as they aim to reduce the wage bill while also bringing in a young player profile.

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Reports from The Independent in the last 24 hours suggest a move from Trevor Chalobah has been considered by the Manchester United hierarchy.

The Blues are said to be willing to do business on at least one of Chalobah or Connor Gallagher, to meet profit and sustainability rules by 30 June.

At 24, the former is valued at around £25m and it is thought Chelsea would be willing to let the defender leave the club when the summer window opens.

The Red Devils are said to now want to follow the approach of high-performing clubs and mostly sign players who are under the age of 25, following the success of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool in recent years.

Signings such as Varane, Casemiro and Antony have so far yielded little return on investment compared to their Premier League counterparts.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 15: Trevoh Chalobah of Chelsea in action during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on January 15, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

Chelsea defender Trevor Chalobah is being considered by Manchester United. (Image credit: Getty Images)

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already back up claims Manchester United will not entertain moves for big-money stars and instead look to bring in players with high potential and a strong resale value.

"I'd rather find the next Mbappe than spend a fortune trying to buy success," said the INEOS billionaire earlier this year. 

"It's not that clever, is it, buying Mbappe, in a way? Anyone could figure that one out. Much more challenging is to find the next Mbappe or Jude Bellingham or the next Roy Keane."

"We all talk on a daily basis, there's a group of us involved in Manchester United but the two people most focused on it would be Dave and myself.

"We've now got Omar Berrada, of course, who's on gardening leave at the moment but he's become a big part of a trio when he settles in. He's come from Man City and will be the chief executive."

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Matthew Holt

Matthew is a Freelance Journalist and has racked up bylines for Manchester United, Manchester Evening News, GOAL and SPORTbible to name a few. A long-term sufferer of Scunthorpe United, he currently resides in the north-west after escaping the smog of North Lincolnshire.