Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte has been linked with a move away from San Mames since last season and it seems Premier League giants Manchester United and Chelsea are keen to make their moves in January.
Laporte is widely regarded as the best U21 defender in world football at the moment and with a dearth of quality modern centre backs around, the 21 year old Frenchman is a man in demand.
Chelsea and Manchester United are both in need of a centre back and both teams will fight it out for Laporte.
After failing to sign Everton defender John Stones in the summer, this is a battle Mourinho is not prepared to lose. The Blues have struggled to defend this season and Jose believes that Laporte could be the man to save his season.
According to El Correo (via The Telegraph) Athletic Bilbao are willing to part with their prized asset if the suitors are willing to match their asking price.
Both Manchester United and Chelsea have been told to stump up a fee in the region of 35 million pounds for the French defender.
Laporte could be an outstanding foil for the Manchester United star Chris Smalling and similarly he could also replace John Terry at Chelsea and form a formidable partnership with compatriot Kurt Zouma.
It will be interesting to see if both teams decide to enter a bidding war for the coveted defender. However in a market where teams often overpay for talent, Laporte is a gamble worth taking.
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