According to Italian Newspaper Il Messaggero, Roma defender Mehdi Benatia would prefer a move to Chelsea instead of the two Manchester clubs. The much wanted defender has been linked with a move away from Rome and it now appears that the player could be well on his way to Stamford Bridge.

Roma had earlier rejected Bayern Munich’s €33m for the 27 year old who had also expressed that he was flattered by Barcelona’s interest. It now appears that Roma are playing hardball as they wish to eke out €40m with the sale of Benatia.

The story is a complete change of earlier reports that the player would prefer a move to Premier League Champions Mnachester City.

Benatia had earlier said, “There are clubs such as Barcelona, ​​Bayern Munich, Manchester City, teams that are the dreams of footballer. Anyway, I’m waiting, and we’re talking with my agent.”

A move to Chelsea would perfectly make sense as the Blues had sold David Luiz to French Ligue 1 champions PSG for £50m . The defender had featured in 33 appearances under Rudi Garcia scoring five goals, as Roma had a stunning season in the Serie A finishing runners up to eventual champions Juventus.