Blues to enter three-way fight for Inter defender Milan Skriniar

Chelsea will take on PSG and Real Madrid for the centre-back's signature.

Posted Thursday, September 29, 2022 by fourfourtwo.com

Chelsea are ready to enter a bidding war with PSG and Real Madrid to try and secure the January signing of Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar, say reports.

The Slovakia international was heavily linked with a move away from San Siro this summer as he entered the final year of his deal.

Skriniar eventually stayed put after his main suitors PSG failed to meet Inter's asking price of €70 million (£63m), but his future remains shrouded in doubt.

The centre-back's contract is set to expire at the end of the season and if new terms can't be agreed soon, Inter could be forced to cash in in January to avoid losing him on a free transfer.

According to Calciomercato.com(opens in new tab), PSG will be back in the equation during the winter market.

However, they now have competition in the form of Chelsea and Real Madrid, says the outlet.

The Premier League side were the biggest spenders in Europe over the summer, spending almost £300m on new players.

Those included two new centre-backs, Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana, making a big-money move for Skriniar look somewhat surprising.

However, the opportunity to bring in one of the best defenders in Serie A on a cut-price deal could be too tempting to resist.

Skriniar has been a key man for Inter since arriving from Sampdoria in July 2017.

The 27-year-old starred on the right side of a back three as Antonio Conte's side ended an 11-year wait for an Inter Scudetto in 2020/21.

Skriniar, who is valued at £58.5m by Transfermarkt(opens in new tab), went on to win the Coppa Italia and Italian Super Cup under Simone Inzaghi last term.

Richarlison has revealed(opens in new tab) that he chose Tottenham over Chelsea in the summer, thanks to an intervention by former Blues boss Antonio Conte.

The club are also keen to bolster their midfield in the winter window, with Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz(opens in new tab) having emerged as a target.

Elsewhere, Chelsea's search for a new sporting director continues after Christoph Freund opted to stay at Red Bull Salzburg(opens in new tab).