Chelsea are interested in Milan Badelj, but should Manchester United make a move?
Manchester United are yet to comment officially on whether they plan to strengthen in January, but after a rocky start to the season, it is clear to see their squad needs some fine tuning.
One area in which they should look at improving is by adding a new defensive midfielder, which would allow Paul Pogba greater freedom.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho with Paul Pogba before the match
Marouane Fellaini has shown himself incapable of handling the role long term, while Michael Carrick is in the final stafes of his Manchester United career.
A player worth looking at is Fiorentina ace Milan Badelj, a Croatian international with 24 caps to his name to date.
The problem for them is United manager Jose Mourinho’s former club Chelsea are at the head of the queue for Badelj, report Calciomercato.
Croatia’s Milan Badelj in action with Portugal’s Adrien Silva
Chelsea have made an initial offer for him, with AC Milan also interested. Fiorentina reportedly value him at 12 million Euros (£10m) – a bargain for Manchester United, considering the last midfielder they bought cost £89 million.
United need Badelj more than Chelsea do, with the Blues already possessing Nemanja Matic and Ngolo Kante in midfield.
Badelj, 27, could slot right in at United, and would be a shrewd acquisition for the Red Devils. Already used to allowing more flamboyant stars like Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic to be creative at international level, he could help United get the best out of their attacking talent.
Tottenham’s Dele Alli in action with Fiorentina’s Milan Badelj
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