Chelsea potentially beaten to another transfer target

Manchester City appear to have beaten Chelsea to the signature of Real Madrid right-back Danilo.

Reports state the Citizens will pay £26.5 million for the defender with potential add-ons taking the fee to over £30 million. If correct, this will be another blow for Antonio Conte. Manchester United were able to snatch Romelu Lukaku from their grasp; Manchester City appear to be doing the same with Danilo. The Brazilian right-back isn’t as important, but it’s a blow for Chelsea, regardless.

Chelsea

Conte was aiming to use Danilo as a right wing-back because of the lack of depth in that area, and his preference for the 3-4-3 formation. Victor Moses performed well in that role last season, but it wasn’t ideal for him. His natural role is as a winger, so the team needed someone capable of fulfilling both the defensive and offensive sides of the role.

Danilo suits the wing-back role rather than the full-back role due to the defensive side of his game being weaker than the offensive. He could also have been used as a back-up right-back if Conte decided to use four at the back in the upcoming season.

Losing out on Danilo limits their options because there isn’t a significant amount of players to choose from. The majority of the rest are either expensive, old or unwilling to move. Benjamin Henrichs and Ricardo Pereira would be suitable targets, but both are on the radar of London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. It will be interesting to see who Conte decides to go after if they lose out on Danilo.

Manchester City

Full-backs were an area of concern for Manchester City last season. Pep Guardiola decided to let Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna and Gaël Clichy leave the club because they weren’t up to his standard. Bringing in Danilo would fully sort out the right-back situation. They have already managed to acquire Kyle Walker, so adding Danilo would give them the necessary depth in that position.

This represents an impressive piece of business from the Citizens. Dani Alves snubbed them for PSG last week, so they were quick to react and find another target. It’s even more remarkable that they have potentially beaten a fellow title rival to the signing.

Real Madrid

This is a good piece of business for Los Blancos. Danilo failed to impress whenever he played, so getting around what they paid for him is a bonus. They already have Dani Carvajal as first choice, so they just need to ensure they have a back-up in that role.

Next: Chelsea set to sign Álvaro Morata

The £26 million they are going to get this transfer along with the £60 million for Álvaro Morata gives them the majority of the necessary money needed to chase after Kylian Mbappé in this window. Although, he doesn’t look likely to move from Monaco this season. Regardless, they are getting rid of a bench-warmer without losing money, so it’s a smart move.

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