Porto defender Eliaquim Mangala, who is one of the prime targets of Manchester City, prefers a move to either Manchester United or Chelsea.
The 23-year-old defender is keen to leave Porto after the World Cup finals in Brazil and wants to join a club of greater stature, like Chelsea and United than Man City.
New Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is looking to bolster his defensive options, but has concerns over the Frenchman’s temperament. The Times reports that Chelsea’s prospects of signing him have been given a significant boost although the Blues expect tough competition from elsewhere, with Real Madrid monitoring his situation as well.
Chelsea have already agreed to sell David Luiz for around £40m to Paris Saint-Germain and are in the market to land a top defender. Jose Mourinho shares a strong relationship with Jorge Mendes, who is the agent of the player, which enhances Chelsea’s chances of signing Mangala.
Mangala has a €45m release clause on his contract and Porto are reluctant to sell for less than that price.
City would suffer a huge blow, should they fail to sign him. They have scouted him for the past two seasons and see him as an ideal partner for skipper Vincent Kompany. Mangala’s apparent reluctance to join City could force them to look for options elsewhere, with Roma’s Mehdi Benatia could be a potential option.
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