Manchester United, Chelsea face off for Roma defender Antonio Rudiger?

The performances of Roma defender Antonio Rudiger have reportedly sparked a transfer race between Manchester United and Chelsea.

After a five-month layoff because of injury, Rudiger has returned to help Roma to seven wins from his 10 appearances but the club's current financial situation has resulted in teams preparing offers for the German international.

According to The Sun, both United and Chelsea are ready to make their move during the January transfer window after both Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte were given the go-ahead to strengthen their squads.

It has been claimed that the Italian giants would prefer to part ways with Kostas Manolas, but it is 23-year-old Rudiger who is attracting the most attention.

Roma only secured the permanent signing of Rudiger in May when they paid Stuttgart a fee of €9m (£7.6m).