Both Manchester United and Chelsea have been handed a boost in the race to sign Mehdi Benatia from Roma.
Initially it appeared that Roma’s director of football Walter Sabatini played down any move for Benatia this summer, but now the director has admitted every player has a price.
Sabatini said: “I believe that Mehdi has been influenced by his agent. He speaks of €30m (£24.4m), so we need at least €60 maybe even €61.
“Anyone who wants Benatia will have to pay €61 (£49.6m).”
Now it appears that United and Chelsea both have a decision to make, wether they are willing to offer a whopping bid to sign the wanted defender or not.
Benatia is an ideal centre-back for what the Premier League demands, and has been watched by many clubs for some time.
United are current front-runners for Benatia, but Chelsea have always been long-term admirers, so it is now down to which club can begin the ball rolling in any deal first.
By Ollie Brown
