Sporting director offers Chelsea boost in pursuit of £22m midfield enforcer

Anderlecht sporting director Herman van Holsbeek has told Belgian newspaper Het Belang van Limburg (quotes via Goal.com) that midfielder Leander Dendoncker will be allowed to leave for between €25m (£22.4m) and €35m (£31.3m).

The 22 year old has been linked with Chelsea and Manchester United, among other clubs, in recent months and van Holsbeek says the Belgian champions are prepared to make a deal if a club meets their asking price:

“We want to cherish him but if a club is willing to pay between €25m and €35m then we have a problem. He showed twice against Manchester United that he has the potential to play at a top European club. We are lucky that the Champions League does not start until September, otherwise we definitely would have lost him.”

Chelsea have certainly been weakened in central midfield by the departure of Nathaniel Chalobah to Watford as well as the exit on loan of Ruben Loftus-Cheek to Crystal Palace. On top of that, the sale of Nemanja Matic could prompt manager Antonio Conte into pushing for more options in the middle of the park.

The Italian has expressed concern about the size of the Blues squad in recent days, and it is highly likely that the Premier League champions will add to the four major signings they have already made, before the end of the transfer window.