Are Chelsea about to face competition for Fabregas?

So we've been hearing from a variety of sources ranging from pretty dodgy to mildly reliable that Chelsea have a €33M deal in place for Fabregas. While we obviously need a midfielder this summer, Fabregas may or may not be the man you had in mind, depending which side of the fence you're on over this one.

However, it's worth noting we aren't the only top side in England [using the now-revised definition of 'top'] in desperate need of midfield reinforcements, and indeed Manchester United were reported as having heavy interest in Fabregas last summer, before they decided to spend their money on a better player and signed premier league powerhouse Marouane Fellaini [using the now-revised definition of 'better'].

Anyway, just as we were about to — as the above mentioned sources would have you believe — seal a deal for Fabregas, United, conspicuous in their absence on this one thus far, have seemingly thrown their hat back in the race with an eleventh hour bid for the Barcelona midfielder.

Like i told about MUFC: Now their in the lead for @cesc4official with a late bid. Once again, he was never a first choice for Mou.

— Gonçalo Lopes (@_GoncaloLopes) June 9, 2014

A tweet which was supported by earlier corresponding tweets from our former beloved summer fling Tancredi Palmeri. Twitter had only begun to go into panic/excitement overdrive, when others including Chelsea columnist Kevin Palmer decided to get in on the act, suggesting a betting agency trick, but it didn't end there, because a brief while later, we had this:

Man United distancing themselves from Fabregas rumours. That doesn't mean they have not expressed some kind of interest of course #MUFC

— Kevin Palmer (@kpsundayworld) June 9, 2014

It's worth noting that regardless of whether either is right about the first part, United's interest in Fabregas last summer was very real, so it's not out of the question to imagine them having retained some of it and sniffing around on this one. The fact that Chelsea have supposedly had a bid tabled and accepted does put the club in the driver's seat to secure a deal, but if United really are in for the player, any such advantage can be quickly cut down to size.

At the moment, I guess there's nothing more to do than simply take these 'developments' with a huge pinch of salt, as we'll find out more about just how real United's renewed interest [if any] is and if a bid really has been tabled soon enough. In the meantime, it's probably safe to say this deal isn't quite as cut-and-dried as it was looking all week up until now.