Newly-appointed Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is 'plotting a huge summer rebuild' at Old Trafford - and this could impact Chelsea's transfer plans. The Blues have recently been linked with Darwin Nunez, but the Manchester club are said to be keen on the 22-year-old as well.
The Athletic reported earlier in the month that Chelsea, as well as Man United and Paris Saint-Germain, were the front-runners for the Benfica forward's signature in the summer. With Ten Hag's appointment being confirmed since then, the interest in Nunez has seemingly remained.
The report claims that United have kept a close eye on Nunez recently, with the forward bagging 33 goals in all competitions this season for the Portuguese side. His form has seen him linked with some top clubs around Europe, and you can understand why.
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"Extremely good looking boy and a decent player," Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said on Nunez ahead of the Reds' Champions League quarter-final second-leg with Benfica earlier in the month. "Really, really good player, I have to say.
"I knew him before, of course, but he played pretty much in front of me [in the first-leg] and had some tough battles with Ibou Konate. Strong, quick, looked calm with his finish.
"Good, really good. Like I say in these situations if he stays healthy, he has a big career ahead of him."
Chelsea's apparent interest in Nunez probably has something to do with the disappointing form of Romelu Lukaku this season. Signed for £97.5million last summer, the Belgian has not found the back of the net in the Premier League since late December.
Lukaku struggled to get involved in Chelsea's 4-2 defeat to Arsenal on Wednesday evening. Before the game, however, Blues head coach Thomas Tuchel refused to give up on the former Inter Milan striker.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Tuchel said: "It is pride for me, and it should hopefully also be pride for him - and it is, I guess. This is how we feel, we feel things getting personal, then if we don't get it right, and I feel it with any player.
"If we cannot get the best out of a player for the team, it feels personal for me. I feel it, and I do not want to have that feeling. You never give up on players, you never give in, and I think Romelu is such a competitor that he feels the same, and he behaves in the same way."
