Manchester United are trying to stop Chelsea from completing a deal for Sheffield Wednesday defender Yisa Alao, with three reliable sources revealing that the Red Devils are in talks to convince him to move to Old Trafford and turn down the chance to switch to Stamford Bridge.
Earlier this month, Man Utd were reported to have made an offer of £450,000 for Alao, who made his debut for the Wednesday first team only in August 2025 after coming off the bench to replace Olaf Kobacki in the EFL Cup tie against Bolton Wanderers.
The Daily Mail, which made the aforementioned claim, also reported Liverpool’s interest in Alao and revealed that the defending Premier League champions, too, have made an offer for the left-back.
However, Chelsea have been pressing ahead in their pursuit of the talented teenager since then.
According to The Athletic, Chelsea have made an offer in the high six-figures for Alao and are ‘close to finalising a deal’ for the Sheffield Wednesday youngster.
However, Man Utd have not given up and are ‘in talks’ for Alao, for whom the final transfer fee, including add-ons, could be over £1million (€1.1m, $1.3m).
Man Utd’s quest to hijack the deal for Chelsea has been backed by journalist Ben Jacobs, too.
The reliable journalist wrote on X at 7:35pm on January 21, 2026: “Chelsea frontrunners to sign Sheffield Wednesday left-back Yisa Alao.
“Fee likely to surpass £1m including add-ons.
“Manchester United are also in talks for the 17-year-old, but a move to Chelsea is at the final stages.”
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Man Utd scouts impressed with Yisa Alao
The Manchester Evening News has added that Man Utd have ‘submitted an offer’ to sign Alao from Wednesday.
Man Utd scouts have reportedly been impressed with the youngster’s athleticism and believe that he could improve a lot in the coming years.
Alao made his Championship debut for Wednesday against Derby County at Hillsborough on December 15 and has since made another appearance in the second tier of English football for the Owls.
Wednesday are in administration due to severe financial issues and are at the foot of the Championship table on minus seven points after 27 rounds of matches.
Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen told The Star on Tuesday evening: “There has to be something (player sales).
“I think we need to do something. But of course, I want to keep our players with the squad we have now.
“For Yisa, he’s a special boy because he’s one of our own. Of course, we want to keep our biggest assets in the club.”
Alao, though, is unlikely to be part of Man Utd interim-manager Michael Carrick’s first-team squad if he joins.
Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior is also unlikely to make the 17-year-old left-back part of his squad.
Should the teenager join Man Utd or Chelsea this month, then he is very likely to be part of the youth set-up first.
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Latest Man Utd transfer news: Tottenham roadblock, Real Madrid raid
Meanwhile, sources have told TEAMtalk’s transfer insider, Graeme Bailey, about Tottenham Hotspur’s plan to block a player’s potential transfer to Man Utd.
Man Utd have also fallen behind in the race for a top midfield target, with Liverpool now in the lead.
And finally, a Real Madrid superstar finds Man Utd’s ‘proposal’ to move to Old Trafford seductive, with the Spanish media claiming that a bid has been lodged.