Chelsea, Man Utd linked to wing-back who’s not even allowed in the country — report

Out of favour Paris Saint-Germain right back Serge Aurier has not been allowed to enter England since November after being convicted of assault on a Paris police officier, missing a Champions League game against Arsenal last season as a result. However, top English clubs remain interested in his services, following an appeal by the player that could overturn his two-month jail sentence.

According to the Telegraph, both Chelsea and Manchester United are waiting on the outcome of Aurier’s appeal. If the charges are dismissed, his ban from England would end as well, and the Premier League rivals would start bidding for the £27m-rated right wing-back, whose price is set fairly low due to his numerous controversies away from the pitch, including lobbing insults at his head coach (Laurent Blanc at the time) on social media. That’s a fair amount of risk to take on, even in a position of need.

The Telegraph’s report also goes through the rest of Chelsea’s multi-pronged attack on the transfer market as the club looks to appease the head coach and the fans with the expected 3-4 more signings this month. Chelsea need new blood, that much is clear.

There is of course Vigil van Dijk, who just submitted a transfer request at Southampton — though they didn’t immediately grant it — plus a repeat of the previous rumbles regarding Danny Drinkwater and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (and ... ugh ... Ross Barkley and Antonio Candreva, who’s been ruled out repeatedly several times already). But until Chelsea actually backs up interest with concrete bids, these sorts of club-sourced rumors will not amount to much more than idle speculation.