Jose Mourinho fears Chelsea will hijack Manchester United transfer deal

Tiemoue Bakayoko has been linked with a move to the Premier League (Picture: Getty)

Manchester United fear Chelsea could hijack their move for Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko in the summer and could move for the Frenchman this month to bring him to Old Trafford.

The 22-year-old has emerged as one of the most sought-after midfielders in Europe and he’s attracted keen interest from the Premier League.

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Jose Mourinho’s side have won their last nine matches and it’s no coincidence that Michael Carrick’s reemergence has seen an upturn in results.

However, the 35-year-old is out of contract in the summer and Mourinho views France U21 international Bakayoko as Carrick’s ideal replacement.

Chelsea, though, are also keen and United risk losing out on the Frenchman if they wait until the summer.

Bakayoko has been identified as Carrick’s replacement (Picture: Getty)

According to ESPN, United fear Chelsea’s interest in Bakayoko could spark a bidding war and they may fast-track their move for the midfielder by making a bid this month.

The Red Devils could hold an advantage in the race to sign Bakayoko as they have good relations with Monaco, having dealt with the Ligue 1 club over deals for Radamel Falcao and Anthony Martial.

Manchester United fixtures

Liverpool (H) – Sun 15 Jan
Stoke (A) – Sat 21 Jan
Hull – EFL Cup (A) – Thu 26 Jan
Wigan – FA Cup (H) – Sat 28 Jan
Hull (H) – Wed 1 Feb
Leicester (A) – Sun 5 Feb
Watford (H) – Sat 11 Feb
St-Etienne – Europa (H) – Thu 16 Feb
St-Etienne – Europa (A) – Wed 22 Feb

Mourinho suggested earlier today that he would wait until the summer to conduct the bulk of his transfer business but interest elsewhere could sway his plans.

Source: 

Sean Kearns for Metro.co.uk