Chelsea are now thought to be leading the chase for Chile international midfielder Charles Aranguiz.
The 26-year-old brought himself to the attention of Europe’s elite by playing a substantial role in his country winning the Copa America on home soil this summer.
Here he is scoring the first of his two goals in Chile’s 5-0 thrashing of Bolivia:
Arsenal are reportedly hoping to team Aranguiz up with Chile colleague Alexis Sanchez at the Emirates Stadium, while Manuel Pellegrini wants to bring his compatriot to Manchester City.
But the Daily Express understands that Chelsea are now in pole position to land the playmaker and hope that an £8m offer will convince his club Internacional to part with their star asset.
The Blues bought Oscar from the Brazilian outfit in 2012 and maintain a good relationship with them, although Internacional are reluctant to sell until after their Copa Libertadores semi-final with Tigres later this month.
Aranguiz has six goals in 36 appearances for Chile and also represented them at the 2014 World Cup.
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