CHELSEA must beat off strong competition from former manager Jose Mourinho to land Bosnian wonderkid Amar Dedic.
But Newcastle are also in the transfer tussle for the 21-year-old Red Bull Salzburg star.
And Arsenal, Barcelona and Inter Milan have all made approaches for the exciting right-back, too.
SunSport can now reveal Chelsea have been keeping a close eye on Dedic’s progress ahead of the January transfer window.
The Blues sent a scout to all of his Champions League games this season – plus at least four league matches since November as well as Euro 2024 qualifiers for Bosnia.
Similarly, Newcastle are tracking 12-cap Dedic and had someone in the stands at Red Bull Salzburg’s last three Champions League games plus a few Bosnia fixtures.
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Toon want to add a versatile defender to provide cover and competition for Kieran Trippier and the left-backs when needed – especially if Lewis Hall ends up returning to Chelsea in the summer.
And Eddie Howe could be boosted by the fact that Dedic has the same agent as Magpies ace Joelinton.
Dedic is a versatile right-back who can play across the defence – including on the left – and is already the club captain.
He came through the youth academy at Red Bull Salzburg and was on the club’s books when Erling Haaland spent two years with the Austrian giants before joining Borussia Dortmund – although Dedic was out on loan with Liefering throughout that time.
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However, he is now impressing in the first team at the Red Bull Arena.
And his performances prompted a £21.5million bid from Roma last summer, with Mourinho a huge fan and desperate to land him.
Salzburg rejected the offer, though, and Dedic continues to be a key man in the team, helping Gerhard Struber’s side sit top of the Austrian Bundesliga once again.
However, they face a tough task trying to keep hold of their rising star in 2024.
Roma remain interested but could pull out of the chase because Mourinho’s current contract expires at the end of the season – and therefore the Serie A side will be hesitant to prioritise the Portuguese’s targets.
Dedic signed a new contract in January, tying him down with the Austrian champions until 2027.
The top talent has scored five and assisted three in 25 appearances this season – and is part of a defence that has conceded just ten goals in the league so far.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
