Chelsea to 'hijack' rivals for 'special' £17m Premier League transfer

Chelsea could look to hijack ongoing negotiations between Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo and Premier League rivals Newcastle United with dramatic late interest in the player.

The 26-year-old is out of contract at Craven Cottage this summer and is believed to wantaway from the club having spurned Fulham's efforts to agree on a new deal. Adarabioyo enjoyed an impressive Premier League season at the heart of Marco Silva's defence, his physicality and ball-playing skills catching the eye.

Newcastle United were reported to be frontrunners to sign the player as the Magpies look to avoid another campaign severely hampered by injury issues. Centre-backs Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles have both sustained serious ACL injuries and will miss a chunk of the 24/25 campaign, making recruitment in that position a priority.

Representatives from Tyneside were believed to be in London last week, finalising a £100,000 per-week deal with Adarabioyo but the i now reports that Chelsea could provide late competition to a free transfer. The outlet reports that the Blues are 'one of a clutch of Premier League clubs' to hold talks with the defender in recent days, suggesting that his move to the North East is far from set in stone.

Manchester United are another club heavily linked with a move for the defender, who is valued at £17 million by Transfermarkt. Sir Jim Ratcliffe is believed to be against splurging huge sums of money on single players this summer, making Adarabioyo somewhat of an ideal transfer situation.

Chelsea are of course tied up in a managerial hunt after sacking Mauricio Pochettino but Newcastle United are also spending energy elsewhere, pursuing Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly, who is also available on a free transfer this summer.

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Losing Adarabioyo will be a blow for Fulham, with head coach Marco Silva hailing the star as a 'key' member of the team after his penalty heroics against Everton in December. The Portuguese boss said: “He is a key player for us. He is one of the leaders in our dressing room and we need these guys to step in in the right moments and he did it.

“We missed him a lot, we missed him because he didn’t play the first three months of the season. Tosin is a special player for us, I can’t hide that situation. The way he can defend the box but also on the ball he is a special player for me, the way I want to play, the way he can build (from the back).

“For three months we missed him but he has just played the last four or five games and he is getting better and better. A great performance from him against Everton and to be able to take the last decision to be deciding the game he deserves all the credit.”