Chelsea beaten Premier League rivals Arsenal to the signature of Romanian starlet defender Cristian Manea, according to Viitorul Constanta’s chairman (via the Daily Express).
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The 17-year-old has signed a five-year contract with the Blues, but will now likely be sent out on loan to farm club Vitesse Arnhem in the Netherlands.
Manea comes highly-rated, and though he plays predominantly as a right-back, but can also feature in the heart of the defence or further forward in a defensive midfield position.
The news was broken on Twitter by Romanian sports journalist Emanuel Rosu, who seemed to think that the deal could turn out to be a huge coup for Jose Mourinho.
Breaking: Viitorul's CEO confirmed Manea's move to Chelsea and Ianis Hagi's leave for Fiorentina! #CFC
— Emanuel Ro?u (@Emishor) June 11, 2015
Manea will probably be loaned to Vitesse for the 2015-2016 season, while Ianis Hagi could stay for one more season.
— Emanuel Ro?u (@Emishor) June 11, 2015
What a good player Chelsea bought. Cristi Manea is a fantastic talent. Can play at RB, CB and DM. Very smart, very good with the ball.
— Emanuel Ro?u (@Emishor) June 11, 2015
Since making his breakthrough at Viitorul Constan?a, Manea has gone on to make 31 appearances for the club, scoring twice.
He is also a seasoned international at youth level, featuring at Under-15, U-17 and U-21 levels, and even picked up his first cap for the Romanian senior side in 2014 against Albania.
