Chelsea and Barca to fight for French starlet

Chelsea will have to fight off interest from Barcelona if they are to secure a summer deal for Porto defender Eliaquim Mangala, according to reports from talkSPORT.

The Premier League giants are believed to be interested in the French international, who has quickly become one of the most sought after young players in Europe after breaking into the Portuguese champions’ first-team.

One other side to have been alerted are Barcelona, who are believed to be willing to spend big to lure the 22-year-old to the Nou Camp in the coming months.
Porto are thought to be unwilling to sell one of their star men – particularly after allowing James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho to join Monaco recently – and as a result he will only be allowed to leave if his £30m release clause is triggered.
Reports suggest Barca could test the water with a £20m offer, a figure that Jose Mourinho is said to be unwilling to match.
Although such an offer is some way short of Porto’s valuation, they may be tempted to accept, as it would mark a significant profit on the £5.5m they paid Standard Liege for his signature in 2011.
Chelsea are believed to have made Zenit Saint-Petersburg forward Hulk their main priority, with Napoli’s Edinson Cavani likely to cost in excess of £50m.