Chelsea set to hijack Kostas Manolas' Zenit move as defender fails to turn up for medical

Manolas was reported to have already agreed to move to Russian club Zenit St. Petersburg but did not turn up at the medical, sparking rumours that Chelsea have intercepted the deal.

Roma and Zenit reportedly agreed on a £30 million deal for defender Kostas Manolas and personal terms were also believed to have been settled. However, Sky Sports reported that the Greek international failed to turn up for the medical that Zenit arranged, with news emerging that the defender was waiting on an offer from Chelsea.

Chelsea have been linked with Manolas before, most recently in the summer of 2016 where a £42 million move was close to completion before the defender chose to remain at Roma. 

Manolas' shocking no-show at the medical was down to the defender's concern over his wages and the Russian currency. The Russian ruble fell to its weakest level against the US dollar earlier this year in January due to depreciating oil prices. This was alerted to Manolas by his agent and he demanded to be paid in Euros instead, something Zenit was not keen on doing. 

This led to Manolas stalling on a move to the Russian club and Chelsea are believed to have taken notice and are trying to intercept the deal. 

Blues manager Antonio Conte is in the market for a new centre-back to replace the outgoing Nathan Ake and to rival the inconsistent Gary Cahill. 

Manolas has been one of the stand-out performers in the Serie A this season, winning 72 percent of aerial balls, making an average of two blocks per game and having an 87.75 percent passing accuracy. His performances were key in Roma's second-placed finish.