Chelsea target Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin and Nathaniel Clyne
The Premier League leaders scouted the pair in Saturday's defeat at Everton as they continue to identify potential recruits for next season, according to The Guardian .
Southampton's instinct will be to resist sales, but Schneiderlin has already made clear his desire to play in the Champions League next term, while Clyne will enter the final year of his contract at St Mary's in July and initial talks over a new deal have offered no guarantees over his long-term future. Competition to secure Schneiderlin, who has nine caps for France, will be fierce with Southampton having stubbornly and impressively resisted interest from Tottenham Hotspur to retain the 25-year-old last summer. Ronald Koeman was intent upon building his team around the Frenchman, indicating it would take over £27m to prise him away, and the side have enjoyed a fine campaign since, with Schneiderlin a key figure in the heart of midfield. Yet, while the possibility of qualifying for the Europa League remains, a recent dip appears to have ruled out a top-four finish and therefore cast doubt over Schneiderlin's stay. Spurs and Arsenal were expected to lead the pursuit of a player secured from Strasbourg seven years ago, but Chelsea may now muscle their way into the running. Schneiderlin was excellent at Stamford Bridge last month andhas proved to be one of the Premier League's most consistent performers, and he would arguably represent better value for money than his compatriot, Paul Pogba, who is expected to leave Juventus. Paris Saint-Germain have already expressed interest in Pogba, who is expected to fetch around £75m when he leaves Turin, though Barcelona, who are unable to sign a player until 2016 having breached rules regarding the transfers of international players under the age of 18, are among a clutch of other elite clubs also interested. Clyne has attracted interest from Manchester United, who came close to securing the England full-back when he departed Crystal Palace in 2012, and is only contracted until 2016 meaning Southampton may consider a sale this summer rather than risk losing the player for nothing in a year's time. The 24-year-old has established himself as England's first-choice right-back this season and would add to Chelsea's association-developed options in the Champions League, as well as competing directly with Branislav Ivanovic. Indeed, his arrival could allow the Serb to move inside to centre-half when required. José Mourinho does not expect a summer of frantic business at Stamford Bridge, though his options in the market should be boosted by a new £40m-a-season sponsorship deal with Yokohama Rubber. "Everything starts with the squad we have, and the players we want to keep," he said when asked about transfer plans last week. "And in that regard there is not a big space for new faces. "The new faces will be a couple and will be a consequence of what the market dictates. So that will be an easy job." " The team is good, the players are good, and I will try and be loyal to players. They deserve that loyalty for what they're giving this season."Even if direct competitors come in with huge amounts to buy top players, if my squad gives everything and gives us the Premier League title, loyalty will be stronger than a desire to buy new players. I would think the squad would be very, very similar to this one." Mohamed Salah, meanwhile, will remain at Fiorentina for a further 12 months after the Italian club triggered their option to retain him for next season at a cost of £1.5m. They will then have the chance to sign him permanently in the summer of 2016 and he could ultimately cost them up to £18m, which would represent another healthy profit on a player who signed from Basel for £11m 15 months ago. Salah made only three Premier League starts this season but has already scored seven goals for Fiorentina.
