Chelsea Confident €38m Bid Will Beat Manchester United To Roma Defender Mehdi Benatia

Chelsea are confident a €38m bid for Roma defender Mehdi Benatia will land the Morrocan and warn off interest from Manchester United.

Jose Mourinho wants to bolster his defence ahead of the new Premier League campaign and has lined up Benatia as his priority.

According to reports from Italy, the west London club believe an offer of €38m (£30.3m) will be enough to convince Roma to part with the defender while ending any hope United manager Louis van Gaal had of taking the 27-year-old to Old Trafford.

Mourinho wants to wrap up Chelsea's summer spending before the transfer window closes and has targeted Monday's season opener against Burnley as the club's deadline for bringing in new recruits.

So far the Blues have brought in Diego Costa, Didier Drogba, Cesc Fabregas, Filipe Luis and 19-year-old Mario Pasalic in a £90m spending spree.

Chelsea's pursuit of Benatia could spell the end of the club's interest in Real Madrid defender Rafael Varane.

Mourinho knows the French international from his time at the Bernabeu and had been monitoring his situation at the La Liga club amid talk contract negotiations had broken down.

Chelsea gave captain John Terry a one-year deal at the end of last season but are looking to eventually find his long term successor at the heart of the Blues' defence.

Benatia made 33 appearances for Roma last season, scoring five times, after signing from Italian league rivals Udinese on a five-year contract for €13.5m.

One player heading to Italy from Chelsea is midfielder Marko Marin. The German is on the verge of completing a 12-month loan move to Fiorentina after failing to make an impression at Stamford Bridge.

Fiorentina used their Twitter account on Monday to say the 25-year-old was in Florence to undergo a medical ahead of a potential move.