Initially, Eric Bailly and Daley Blind were the established duo, before Chris Smalling came into contention and eventually replaced the Dutch utility man. and that he had to change his ways to get back to his best at Stamford BridgeCOSTA QUIT SHOCKDiego C. an eye on the Zenit midfielder whose contract is up in the summer and has made it clear he is desperate for a move. Conte looked at the defender last season when arrived but the club prioritised deals for David Luiz, Alonso and NGolo Kante. the timings of contract renewals so that he has the funds in place to make the contracts work with the clubs cashflow. With competition for places from Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, he knows he is no longer a first team player. And the Spaniard has proved his weight in gold this season. losing such an influential player they are willing to loan Murphy back to Norwich, which will give them time to find a replacement come the summer transfer window. The leaders know they are able to go in with a straight cash offer without having to offload any of their players, and they are now favourites to get their man. Keep up to date with ALL the Manchester United??news, gossip and transfers on our club page plus fix.