Chelsea are close to securing a deal for Manchester United youngster Angel Gomes after his agent held talks with Marina Granovskaia, according to reports.
The 19-year-old is out of contract with United at the end of June, when he will be free to leave for free, and has turned down the club’s offers of a new deal worth around £25,000-a-week.
Gomes and his representatives are holding out for an higher offer while he also wants assurances over first-team chances.
That prompted Chelsea to swoop in, after Chelsea’s interest emerged back in March with the club prepared to give him the game time he wants.
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According to the Mirror, Gomes has enlisted the help of super-agent Pini Zahavi, who has a long history with Chelsea which dates back to when Roman Abramovich first bought the club – and they remain on good terms.
Zahavi is believed to have held talks with Chelsea director Granovskaia and they are growing confident that they will win the race to sign the talented player.
Frank Lampard is a fan of Gomes and the feeling is mutual, with the Chelsea manager’s willingness to play young players an appealing proposition.
With Premier League teams set to feel the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the prospect of only paying a compensation fee for Gomes makes him very attractive for Chelsea in what is expected to be a low-spending transfer market.
Despite Gomes’ talks with Chelsea, Manchester United have not given up on the player agreeing to remain at the club.
The teenager wants to remain but would expect in excess of £30,000-a-week and a promise that he will receive more appearances than he was handed by Solskjaer this season.
Gomes hinted he would like to stay at the club, saying: ‘I’ve seen it over the years, coming up from the academy and being at United my whole career. It’s what I want to go on to do – win trophies for the club.’
