Manchester United scouts watched Leicester City left-back Ben Chilwell in action last weekend against Liverpool, Old Trafford insiders have stated. The Red Devils have been strongly linked in recent weeks to Chilwell’s midfield team-mate James Maddison, who scored in the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool last weekend.
However, sources inside United have claimed that while there is an admiration for both of the England men, it is Chilwell who is firmly in the Manchester giants’ sights. It’s understood they are fearful of missing out on the talented 22-year-old, with neighbours Manchester City and Chelsea also keen on the Foxes star.
United were able to outbid the Citizens to win the £80million race for Chilwell’s former team-mate Harry Maguire during the summer, and they will hope to see off competition from their city rivals again to land the England international.
Ashley Young will be allowed to leave the Theatre of Dreams next summer and Marcos Rojo won’t be far behind him, leaving a space open for another left-back to compete with the injury-plagued Luke Shaw. United are putting their faith in investing in young British talent to turn around their fortunes in the coming seasons, with no shortage of funds to back that up.
In addition to Maguire’s capture, boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spent another £75m bringing in right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace and winger Daniel James from Swansea City. Chilwell’s age, coupled with his ability to get repeatedly up and down the line, has United spies convinced he would be a huge upgrade and represent long-term value for money.
The bosses at King Power Stadium might still have something to say about that, but they showed with the sale of Maguire that no player is off limits. A bid of around £65million may be enough to bring Chilwell to Old Trafford.
