The Blues face a tough battle to sign Matic.
Benfica star Nemanja Matic has emerged as a transfer target for Chelsea and Real Madrid, with Manchester United and AS Monaco both having shown interest in the past, reports the Daily Express.
Matic has a £42m release clause written into his contract but it’s thought that the Blues and Madrid would only be prepared to raise their offers to £25m to secure the Serbian’s services.
The 24-year-old was a key part of the first team at the Estadio da Luz last season as Benfica finished runners-up to FC Porto in the Primeira Liga and the midfielder also made 13 appearances in both the Champions League and Europa League.
Returning Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is thought to be extremely keen on Matic, but if the Portuguese boss signed the Serbia international it would serve as a step backwards for the Blues who also signed the player from MFK Kosice back in 2009.
Matic spent two years at Stamford Bridge – one of which was on-loan at Vitesse Arnhem – before being sold to Portugal for £4.4m having made just three substitute’s appearances for the club.
Yet in Lisbon the midfielder has revitalised his career and would now cost Mourinho over five times what his club sold Matic for just two years ago.
To make matters worse the west London outfit also face stiff competition from Madrid, with new Los Blancos manager Carlo Ancelotti keen on bringing the Serb to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Chelsea have made just one transfer since the ‘Special One’s’ return to the Bridge by bringing in German winger Andre Schurrle from Bayer Leverkusen for £19.4m.
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