Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare is set to decide between signing for Manchester United or Chelsea before the end of the transfer window.
Arsenal are said to be no longer in the running for the Lille player, and neither are Spanish sides Real Madrid nor Valencia.
The Red devils and Chelsea have held talks over the player but no decision is expected to be made before Lille play against PSG on January 26.
The 20-year-old is a box-to-box midfielder in the mould of Paul Pogba and has impressed across 23 matches in all competitions this campaign, including six games in the Champions League.
Soumare will cost United or Chelsea £40m – not bad for a young player who Lille acquired for nothing from PSG. The midfielder is the latest gem uncovered and polished by Lille’s sporting director Luis Campos.
Soumare wants to leave this January window and Lille have enough midfield options to allow him leave. He prefers to play in the Premier League, despite being monitored by La Liga giants Real Madrid.
Some reports claim United will cool their interest once the deal for Bruno Fernandes is completed, but the club could do with both. Fernandes likes to run with the ball, set up goals and also score them.
Boubakary Soumare however prefers a deeper role; intercepting, winning the ball and long range passes.
A source close to Soumare describes him as “Paul Pogba without the baggage”. Definitely he’s not Pogba class yet, but has the potential to emulate the Frenchman.
Chelsea are back in transfer business this window, and Soumare fits their current model. Another promising, gifted youngster. Lampard can picture him linking up with Abraham and Mason Mount.
