The Chronicle are reporting that a £15m bid from Stoke City was rejected for Matt Ritchie as Rafa Benitez is concerned the club haven’t yet lined up a replacement.
We are said to be interested in both Chelsea’s Kenedy and Crystal Palace’s Andros Townsend, but neither deal is said to be close.
In a poll, I asked fans whether they would swap Ritchie for either Kenedy or Townsend and as you can see the vast majority are hoping for the club to a make a move for the Brazilian:
A bid of between £20m-£30m is believed to be needed to secure the winger’s services, but there are a number of complications standing in the way of the deal.
Any offer for the 22-year-old will likely have to wait until a new manager is in charge at Stamford Bridge. The Evening Standard report the Blues are still working on hiring former Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri, but have yet to sack Antonio Conte. Without the managerial situation being resolved, it seems Kenedy’s future will remain uncertain.