Chelsea could face competition from Manchester City if they decide to make a move for Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha.
Joao Palhinha has been linked with a move to Chelsea, with TEAMtalk claiming that the Blues remain in the frame to sign him.
However, according to The Sun, Man City are also interested in buying the 28-year-old in a potential £60m deal.
Chelsea revamped their midfield during the summer, bringing in Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia. However, it does not seem like Mauricio Pochettino is completely satisfied with his options.
As well as midfield, the Blues could also look to strengthen their attack in January. Speculation surrounding Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and a potential move to Stamford Bridge refuses to go away.
Manchester City join race for Joao Palhinha
City joining the race for Palhinha would be bad news for Chelsea if they really want the Portugal international.
If it came down to a straight shoot-out between the two sides, then there is probably only going to be one winner.
City won the treble last season and are currently in the Champions League, whereas Chelsea finished 12th in the Premier League table and have no European football at all right now. It is really hard to imagine him saying no to the former.
Whatever the case, it is quite clear that Palhinha will leave Craven Cottage at some point in the future.
He has proven to be an excellent Premier League footballer, making the most tackles in the competition last term (FBref).
Fulham have performed exceptionally well under Marco Silva in the top flight, but sooner or later one of the division’s bigger clubs or a European giant like Bayern Munich are going to snap Palhinha up. He looks capable of progressing to that next level now, which Chelsea’s west London rivals probably have to accept.
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