Chelsea are now leading the race to sign a "superstar" Premier League player, who wants to leave his current club.
Blues back on track after Everton victory
The Blues brought a four-game winless run across all competitions to an end on Saturday afternoon, courtesy of a 2-0 victory against Everton at Stamford Bridge, with goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto securing all three points.
Enzo Maresca will no doubt be buoyed by Palmer's return to form, with the Englishman spending the majority of the campaign on the sidelines due to a groin injury, before breaking his toe, although he is yet to fully recover.
Maresca certainly isn't lacking options top-quality options in midfield, with Palmer featuring in an advanced role against Everton, ahead of Enzo Fernandez and Reece James at the base of midfield, while Moises Caicedo is still yet to return from a suspension.
However, signing another new midfielder is on the agenda, according to a report from Caught Offside, which states Chelsea are now leading the race to sign Kobbie Mainoo, who wants to leave Manchester United, amid a lack of game time.
A whole host of clubs are in the race for Mainoo, with the Blues now in pole position, alongside Bayern Munich, although Napoli's interest could pose a problem.
Man United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo
The midfielder, who Frank Lampard is a "massive fan" of, is keen to receive consistent minutes wherever he ends up next, which means a move to the Italian club is attractive, especially given the way Scott McTominay's career has panned out since moving to the Serie A.
"Superstar" Mainoo could be exciting signing for Chelsea
Nicky Butt has made it clear he doesn't want United to offload the youngster, saying: "If Mainoo was playing for another Premier League club, United go and buy him for £70m or £80m,"
"Now we’re going to sell him and he’ll be a superstar elsewhere like McTominay, Elanga, Henderson – we can mention loads of them."
However, it would be understandable if the 20-year-old were to push for a move next month, given just how sparsely he has featured this season, with the starlet still yet to start a game in the Premier League.
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Chelsea have yet another exciting forward set to join their ranks in the coming months.
When the Englishman, who is represented by the same agent as Liam Delap, has been given the opportunity, he has often impressed, particularly catching the eye with his dribbling and tackling over the past year, when compared to other midfielders.
Kobbie Mainoo's key statistics Average per 90 (past year)
Successful take-ons 1.13 (90th percentile)
Progressive carries 1.91 (82nd percentile)
Tackles 2.77 (87th percentile)
Non-penalty goals 0.14 (79th percentile)
That said, Mainoo may find game time hard to come by at Chelsea too, considering Maresca already has Fernandez and Caicedo at his disposal, so a move to Stamford Bridge may not be ideal.