Chelsea round-up: Manchester United battle for full-back; Drinkwater is top target; Frenchman linked

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Chelsea could be set for another summer transfer window battle with Manchester United as the Express claim that they will face up against their rivals in pursuit of Paris Saint-German full-back Serge Aurier. The French club no longer want the Ivory Coast international and he is expected to leave the club this summer.

That could see him come to Stamford Bridge to compete with Victor Moses as a wing-back. His attacking game would suit the role and would be a similar addition to Marcos Alonso last summer as the duo share many traits with defensive solidity and an attacking threat.

Another top target is believed to be Leicester City’s Danny Drinkwater. The London Evening Standard say that the midfielder has been identified as the club’s top target as the club enters into the final three weeks of the transfer window with plenty of work still to do in order to defend their Premier League title.

The Foxes will demand at least £30 million for the 27-year-old in order to persuade them to part with the homegrown talent. He would tick many boxes in Antonio Conte’s transfer wishlist as he looks to add extra English talent for squad registration purposes with a number of homegrown players having left the club.

One target who doesn’t fall into that category could be Djibril Sidibe. TransferMarketWeb say that the Blues could return to Monaco to do their transfer business. Another attacking full-back, the 25-year-old French international may be an alternative to the likes of Serge Aurier.

It is not clearly whether Monaco would be prepared to sell, but with Benjamin Mendy having left for Manchester City, it seems unlikely that they would part with another full-back easily. As such, it could be a difficult and expensive operation to bring Sidibe to London and may only be considered if other targets are unattainable.