Chelsea in talks to rival Manchester United for Benfica defender Antonio Silva – Paper Round

Chelsea hope to sign Benfica defender Antonio Silva, with £87 million set as his release clause.

The Sun says they would be rivalling Manchester United for the player.

“The 20-year-old is a target for the Blues as they look to bolster their defensive options this month.

“Silva was watched by Chelsea during Benfica’s 3-0 win over Famalicao on Friday, having been scouted by the club for several weeks.

“SunSport understand that the West London club see Silva as a potential new pillar in their defence.

“Talks have already taken place with Benfica, with an initial £52million proposal including Armando Broja rejected by the Portuguese side.

“Chelsea have instead been told they must meet Silva’s £87million release clause in order to sign him.”

Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund are weighing up the option of signing their former winger Jadon Sancho on loan from Manchester United.

Sancho is exiled from the United first team at the moment, and enquiries were reportedly made over a loan fee and how much of his wages they would have to pay.

“Sancho has been exiled from the first-team at Old Trafford by manager Erik ten Hag and the 23-year-old has not played for United in the last four months and has been training away from the main squad. Ten Hag publicly stated the £73 million signing has to meet standards and the culture of the club.

“Dortmund, who sold Sancho to United in 2021, are interested in a short-term deal to bring the England international back to Westfalenstadion where he starred for four years after leaving Manchester City’s academy.

“The Bundesliga club have made enquiries over a loan fee for Sancho and the amount of salary recovery they would pay in a six-month deal. United would be expected to have to pay a portion of wages worth more than £200,000 per week.”

Another club that might be interested in Jadon Sancho is West Ham, according to the Mirror.

The problem with any deal is the timing, as West Ham want to wait until the summer, and may not be able to cover his wages.

“The winger has been frozen out at Old Trafford having clashed with Erik ten Hag as a result of a social media post back in September. Sancho claimed he’d been made a “scapegoat” after the United boss said his omission from the matchday squad was due to training performances.

“Sancho earns huge sums at Old Trafford, pocking £250,000-a-week at Old Trafford, with those numbers also understood to be an issue for West Ham. United, if they do offload the winger on loan, may yet have to pay some of his wages to get him out of the club.”

Bayern Munich may return to Fulham to try to finally secure Joao Palhinha after a summer move collapsed.

Another player, reports the Independent, is Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah, wanted by former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel.

“Manager Thomas Tuchel’s preference to sign both and he feels they can be the difference as Bayern look to launch a proper challenge for the Champions League this season.

“The German is happy with his team but believes there is something missing in the centre of the pitch, and their high scoring in Europe this season has often been undercut by a fragility in the middle of midfield.

“A loan deal for Chalobah fell through before Bayern ran out of time to do a deal with Palhinha, with the negotiations going to the wire on deadline day and the Portugal international having travelled to Munich airport.

“A move for Chalobah could be smoother to do as Chelsea need to sell for Profit and Sustainability Rules, with Mauricio Pohettino’s side wanting to make purchases of their own this January.”