Chelsea ready to beat Manchester United to Serge Aurier signing as Danny Drinkwater wants Blues move

Chelsea and Manchester United are set to go head-to-head in the transfer market yet again with Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte targeting a move for Paris Saint-Germain defender Serge Aurier as they look to bolster their full-back options.

The two clubs have already seen prospective targets move to their rivals after Romelu Lukaku, who was favourite to join the Blues this summer chose to join the Old Trafford club, while Tiemoue Bakayoko joined the former after being linked with United. The two clubs have also conducted business when the Red Devils paid Chelsea around £40m ($52.1m) to sign Nemanja Matic.

Conte has made it clear that Chelsea need to sign more players and has prioritised strengthening his full-back areas and midfield before the end of the ongoing summer transfer window. The west London club were linked with moves for AS Monaco's Benjamin Mendy and Real Madrid's Danilo but lost out to Manchester City, who signed the duo earlier in the window.

The Italian coach is eager to bring in alternatives for Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses, who are currently first choice options at left and right wing-back respectively. Juventus' Alex Sandro is a long-term target for the left side, and according to the Daily Mail, Aurier has now emerged as a primary target for the right wing-back position.

PSG are open to allowing Aurier to leave the club this summer after signing Dani Alves from Juventus, but clubs are awaiting the result of a court decision regarding his conviction for assaulting a police officer last September. The Ivory Coast international is currently banned from entering the United Kingdom.

United are said to be favourites to sign him with reports stating that he has agreed a £90,000-a-week deal with the Red Devils and the two clubs are said to be in agreement over a £27m fee. However, Chelsea are ready to match that valuation and will battle their Premier League rivals for the right-back's signature.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are also desperate to sign a midfielder to fill the void left by Matic's departure and have identified Leicester City's Danny Drinkwater as an ideal replacement. The Foxes are reluctant to sell, but according to the Mirror, the England international is ready to force a move by informing the club of his desire to join the Stamford Bridge outfit.

The Blues get their Premier League campaign underway against Burnley on Saturday (12 August) and Conte is aware that he does not have a squad big enough to challenge on four fronts – the league, the EFL Cup, FA Cup and Champions League - this season.