Man Utd braced for Chelsea battle as Enzo Maresca 'lines up Conor Gallagher replacement'

Manchester United will reportedly be joined in the transfer race for Leicester midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall as Chelsea set their sights on the 25-year-old. New Red Devils decision-makers INEOS had been very keen on bringing Dewsbury-Hall to Old Trafford, but Enzo Maresca’s outfit are also admirers of the Foxes’ star man.

United are on the lookout for midfield reinforcements this summer, an area that head coach Erik ten Hag has already claimed needs investment. And while Dewsbury-Hall has stated his desire to remain with Leicester following their promotion to the Premier League, interest remains from two top-flight rivals.

Dewsbury-Hall’s camp were already said to have been approached by United, with Leicester ready to demand over £40million, with the club keen to hold onto their most prised assets.

But The Sun claim that Chelsea and ex-Leicester boss Maresca want to bring Dewsbury-Hall to Stamford Bridge as a replacement for Conor Gallagher. The England international has interest from Tottenham, Aston Villa and Atletico Madrid as the Blues are keen to receive £50m of pure profit on their financial books as an academy product.

Dewsbury-Hall stands top of Maresca’s list if Gallagher is to leave Chelsea this summer, keen to reunite with the man who spearheaded Leicester’s title-winning squad with 12 goals and 14 assists in 44 Championship appearances.

He is seen as a like-for-like replacement for Gallagher with his tenacity and ability to impact play in every area of the pitch, but Leicester do not need to sell any of their players and any decision will likely depend on who arrives as Maresca’s successor.

And at least publicly, Dewsbury-Hall is not pushing to leave the King Power Stadium. "I’ve been at this club since I was eight years old… I’ve got no intention of leaving," he said after winning the club’s Player of the Season award.

Gallagher has already insisted that he wants to work with Maresca at Chelsea once he returns from international duty with England at Euro 2024, should he be named in Gareth Southgate’s final squad list on Saturday.

"[The appointment] is really exciting," the 24-year-old told Sky Sports. "I’ve heard and seen really good things. Myself and everyone at Chelsea are really excited to work with him. We want to get Chelsea back to where they belong so with the new manager we can progress to get where we belong."