Manchester United and Chelsea have both made approaches to sign Bologna and Colombia defender Jhon Lucumi, according to reports.
United’s focus in the early stages of the summer was on midfield reinforcements, with Andrey Santos arriving from Chelsea and Youri Tielemans joining from Aston Villa.
Michael Carrick was keen to bring at least two midfielders to Old Trafford following Casemiro’s departure and Manuel Ugarte’s long-term injury.
Manchester United are also interested in bolstering Carrick’s attacking and defensive options, with a new striker potentially set to arrive to provide cover and competition for Benjamin Sesko.
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The Red Devils have held talks with Newcastle United over a deal for Lewis Hall as they look for left-back cover while they have reportedly expressed interest in Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Centre back is another area Manchester United could look at given Matthijs De Ligt and Lisandro Martinez’s injury issues.
Carrick’s interest in signing a new central defender has left United to make an approach for Bologna’s Lucumi, according to Italian outlet Quotidiano Sportivo.
Lucumi, who played in all five of Colombia’s games at the World Cup, has attracted interest from a number of clubs as he enters the final year of his contract at Bologna.
The 28-year-old has made over 150 appearances for the Serie A side, helping Bologna qualify for Europe last season and win the Coppa Italia in 2025.
Lucumi has already received offers from Juventus, who have seen a proposal worth £15m rejected, Cesc Fabregas’ Como and Premier League side Nottingham Forest.
Now Manchester United have entered the race, registering their interest to both Bologna and the player who it is claimed would be keen on a move to Old Trafford.
But Chelsea have also made contact to discuss a deal, with Bologna demanding a fee of £21m up front with a further £3m in acheivable add-ons.
New Stamford Bridge boss Xabi Alonso has suggested he wants to sell four or five of Chelsea’s current centre-backs after signing Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace.
England’s Trevoh Chalobah is set to join Como for a little over £30m while Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi are expected to depart.
Alonso, the former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder, has already welcomed ten new signings to Chelsea this summer, including Morgan Rogers, Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson.
Lucumi, who has 42 caps for Colombia, began his career at local side Deportivo Cali before joining Genk in 2018 and his current team Bologna four years ago.
Manchester United can offer Lucumi Champions League football after their third-place finish last season, but Chelsea missed out on European qualification altogether.
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