According to The Sun, Chelsea are ready to battle it out with Arsenal for the services of Manchester United midfielder Andreas Pereira in the upcoming January transfer window.
Pereira is expected to leave the club following his lack of game-time at Old Trafford. His current contract with Manchester United expires at the end of the season and Chelsea are keen to secure his services for a cut-price deal in January.
But will Pereira be an ideal signing for the Blues?
Andreas Pereira: player profile
Although Pereira has struggled to crack the Manchester United first team for quite some time now, his short stint with Granada during the 2016/17 season showed exactly what he is capable of. He was involved in eight goals in 35 matches, which earned him yet another loan spell at Valencia in the following campaign.
Pereira’s versatility at the middle of the pitch is admirable as he can be utilised not only as a number ten but also as a number eight. In fact, his excellent ball carrying qualities coupled with his technical astuteness allows him to play even as a deep-lying playmaker.
However, the 22-year-old often struggles when deployed out wide, which was arguably the biggest reason behind his failure at Valencia, who constantly played him out of position.
Should Chelsea sign Andreas Pereira?
Pereira is all about his raw talent as he has the potential to develop into a world class midfielder. But, the unsettling reality is that the Brazilian could just be another backup option at Chelsea, who are keen to shore up midfield and attack.
While Pereira’s addition will undoubtedly be an amazing coup for Chelsea, especially for a fee of only £10 million, the move may eventually be detrimental for the player himself.
As stated earlier, Pereira has found it difficult to impress at clubs who are not overly reliant on his services, including clubs like Manchester United and Valencia and Chelsea, in that context, are no different.
A move to Arsenal, however, makes much more sense given the fact that the Gunners duly lack the depth in the offensive department and are yet to buy a proper replacement for Alexis Sanchez.
